


You're trying to save me

by TigressWraith



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Angst, Anxiety Attacks, F/F, Misffle - Freeform, a little fluff, also a lot of mental breaks, there's a little violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-08-20 09:56:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 31,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8245048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigressWraith/pseuds/TigressWraith
Summary: When things go awry for Clara and the Doctor doesn't notice...it's time for Missy to step up. How will our favourite bonkers Time Lady measure up when she is put to the test?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any recognisable characters. This is a video that is based upon hollowshadowwolf's video. It has the same name as this fanfic. You should check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1ePMOXFbqw
> 
> This fanfic was originally published on Fanfiction.Net, and was well received. Some of you may have seen this fic before, some might be new. It's ongoing and I hope you like it. Let me know what you liked, or if you have some constructive criticism. Leave a comment and let me know ~TW

Chapter 1:

Puppies are loyal and kind, most would say these are their best traits. Missy would agree, but she’d say that they are faults and weaknesses too. They certainly were in her puppy. She travelled the stars, and had finally gotten around to finding her TARDIS on the Silver Devastation. She parked the old girl in England; she needed to let Gorgeous air herself out before she could start repairs. She brought out her Diephone and honed in on Clara’s coordinates.  
Her puppy was teaching her class of smelly, hormonal brats. Missy watched with a sneer across her face, as the class came to an end. Her Clara was such a swot the way she talked about Jane Austen. Perhaps she should make sure said fossilised human stayed a fossil. A thought for another day, Clara entered a closet and Missy saw the Doctor’s TARDIS. The Mistress rolled her eyes and switched off the feed. Probably off on another trip to somewhere like the duck ponds of Larily V. Boring! Well surely Gorgeous had aired herself out by now.

**SaveMe**  
Clara dashed through the school halls, towards the cleaner’s closet. She wondered what the old man, had gotten up to in her absence. Entering the closet and quickly getting into the TARDIS.  
“Doctor!” yelled Clara.  
“Clara!” shouted the Doctor, popping his head up from where he’d been kneeling under the console.  
“So where are we going today old man?”  
“Well I was thinking that we could go to the lakes on Larily V. They have mermaids, you know.”

Clara grinned, of all the things she’d seen she hadn’t expected mermaids to actually exist.  
“Mermaids, actual, live mermaids?!” exclaimed Clara.  
“Well...sort of. You’ll know them when you see them,” muttered the Doctor.

Clara smirked, and huffed amusedly. Her daft old magician was always forgetting details, but she had the feeling that this time the details would be harmless. She watched him dash around the TARDIS’ centre console. Despite his frown-y eyebrows that made him look like a grumpy owl; he would sometimes do things that let Clara see him as he would have been as a child. It was something that was unique to his regeneration. Yes Eleven had been extremely youthful but not in the way Twelve was. He could be angry and Scottish, but he’d smile mischievously; or his eyes would give away fear, and she’d see a man whose boyhood innocence had not completely left him. His fear seemed to make him shrink and curl into a ball. If something ever happened to her, she wasn’t sure what would happen to him. Clara doubted she could rely on Missy to pick up the pieces, best friend or not.

The TARDIS shook as it whirled through time and space. The Doctor grinned manically at her. The ship came to a halt and Clara skipped out of the TARDIS grinning. The planet was beautiful, and serene. The grass was green and went on for miles, the trees had lilac leaves, and the lakes were like glass.  
“Larily V, the most tranquil planet for five galaxies; thought you might like the colours or something,” said the Doctor.  
Clara giggled and looked at him.  
“Don’t, not the eyes! Come on! How do you make them inflate like that? Stop that!” exclaimed the Doctor.

Clara rolled her eyes at the Doctor, and ran toward the trees, there was bound to be interesting things there. The Doctor shook his head, and went back into the TARDIS he had deck chairs somewhere.

Clara enjoyed the woodlands, it was pretty. The lilac leaves were almost transparent against the sun. There were dead leaves that had turned silver, sticking out against the red earth. It was rare that Clara was allowed to wander off and it was nice to not have any Time Lords yapping in her ear. And there Missy was calling her a puppy. Honestly! 

A little way into the distance Clara found a creek that came off a small waterfall. Underneath the waterfall was a petite woman with auburn hair, washing herself. Entranced Clara walked toward the beautiful woman. She had scales that were the same colours as the nebulas Clara had seen. The moment the woman noticed Clara she gasped, and dived into the water. Clara noticed the turquoise scales that twinned around her legs, and ran to the shore of the creek. She leaned over the mirror like water and tried to search for the mermaid.

“I’m not going to hurt you, come back!” Clara exclaimed.  
The mermaid surfaced beneath Clara’s face, reaching up toward her. The mermaid’s face was angelic until it suddenly turned monstrous as it snatched the sides of Clara’s face, pulling her into the water. Panic was the first emotion to take over Clara as she tried to struggle out of the mermaid’s grip. Her vision swam, and she suddenly felt like her brain had taken a punch. Calmness overtook Clara before images that she had no memory of began to take over. Clara stealing a spyglass and ruby, Clara dressed in Victorian garb, Clara wandering around a space port, a hand pulling out a knife, a hand reaching towards a blurred figure...

Pain built up to unbearable levels, a migraine perhaps? It was then that Clara suddenly realised that she couldn’t get a proper lung full of air. Was she having an anxiety attack, and why did the air feel like liquid? Surely the weather wasn’t that humid. What the hell was happening?

**SaveMe**

Missy jumped as her hearts constricted. She tried to gasp for air, something was very wrong. She brushed against the Doctor’s telepathic link he was fine, completely relaxed even. Missy began to worry, surely it couldn’t be. She telepathically reached for Clara and flinched when she realised her respiratory bypass had to kick in. Her Impossible Girl was in danger.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
> 
> A/N: if you liked this, or have some constructive leave me a comment. ~TW

Chapter 2:

Missy stumbled as she landed at her destination. Bloody vortex manipulators! She couldn’t wait to have her TARDIS repaired. She ran through the trees, noting the lilac leaves. Larily V, of course it was. The daft old man had let Clara wander off, without mentioning that the supposed mermaids preyed on those with weak telepathic ability, who had memories blocked off. This of course, meant that Poppet was the ultimate target. 

Hundreds of past lives, all memories of them blocked and no telepathic defence...Clara was fish food. She could feel Clara’s psychic distress clearer the closer she got, and it was beginning to make her nervous. The Puppy was not allowed to die. Missy cleared the tree line to see Clara floating face down in the water. She gasped and ran in, heedless of the potential danger. 

Making it to Clara, Missy flipped her over and dragged her out of the water. Checking for a pulse, Missy began CPR. Her mind was going into overdrive, hoping that Clara would come back from this. It took five minutes of CPR but eventually Clara sputtered, and coughed up the water clogging her airways. Missy sighed in relief, but soon began to panic again when she realised that Clara wasn’t coming to. She put her ear, to her puppy’s chest. Clara’s heart was beating regularly, and her breathing was fine. Missy did a quick checklist, realising that Clara’s mind would be ravaged from the telepathic invasion.

Missy gathered Clara to her chest; resting a hand on her face, Missy’s thumb touching Clara’s temple. Anyone who knew the Mistress would despair for their sanity if they saw her at this moment.   
“Come on, my Clara. Let me help,” whispered Missy.

Missy entered Clara’s mind as gently as she could. She felt Clara mentally flinch away from her mind. She couldn’t blame her puppy, touching her ravaged mind whilst healthy would have stung, let alone when Clara’s mind had been beaten into submission. Clara’s mind looked like a war zone, and felt rough. Missy went about healing Clara’s mind, slowly weaving the strands together. Eventually Clara’s mind looked more like the definitive black landscape that an untrained mind should look like. Missy gently withdrew from Clara’s mind; not hearing the sound of cracking glass.

Missy sought out the psychic energy of the TARDIS, tracking its location. After getting a fix on its location, she picked Clara up bridle style and headed toward the TARDIS. She noted that Clara was lighter than someone of her stature should be. Was Clara not taking proper care of herself? Missy wouldn’t know; she wasn’t well versed in how to care for humans...or anyone at all for that matter. 

She soon left the shelter of the trees, and hurried over the hills to the blue box. Finding the door open Missy crept inside. The console room was empty; she put Clara down gently on one of the seats. She had expected the Doctor to be there tinkering with the engine, but he was nowhere to be found. A sudden fit of panic gripped the Mistress, as she realised how this would look to her old friend. She cared for Clara, but Thete certainly wouldn’t see it that way. Missy didn’t know what to do and fear began to settle. Her emotions and emotional thinkers were not her thing. The only clear option was to leave.

“Tell him, the Puppy needs him,” Missy told the TARDIS, before running out of the room. 

She hid around the corner of from the entrance, programming her manipulator to take her back to her TARDIS.

“CLARA!”

Missy quickly teleported away, assured that the Doctor would take care of her Clara. 

**SaveMe**

Clara opened her eyes, blinking a few times to clear away the blurriness. She shook her head as she saw herself approaching with a cleaver. This wasn’t possible; there was no way this was happening. Panic began to set in as the other Clara raised her cleaver, bringing it down towards her head. Clara screamed.

The next thing she knew, she was being shaken roughly.  
“Wake up Clara! Come on, you have to wake up you’re dreaming!”  
Clara opened her eyes, her throat painfully raw and pulled the Doctor into a tight hug. The Doctor flailed his arms around her, panicking at the unexpected affection.  
“Ugh, Clara...”  
“No! Just hold me,” Clara ordered.  
“But...” the Doctor protested.  
“No!”

The Doctor gave in, winding his arms loosely around his friend. He hated it, affection was scary. What was it for? Did she want something? Was she hiding from him? However, it wasn’t about his comfort. Clara was clearly frightened by her night terror. He hoped a hug was enough, he didn’t know if it was. Eventually Clara let him go, with a shuddering sigh.  
“Is that better?” asked the Doctor.  
“Yeah, thanks Doctor,” said Clara, smiling grimly.  
The Doctor nodded and left the room. If Clara was smiling, even a little bit he must have done a good job. He headed off to the kitchen; he thought the coffee machine could be improved. 

Watching the Doctor leave, Clara sighed glad that the Doctor bought her act. Her dream had really frightened her, and the fact that there was another Clara rocking and crying in the corner wasn’t helping. This would go away, it had to go away. Ever since her accident on Larily V, she’d been seeing some disconcerting things. Worse still, there were spaces of time that she couldn’t remember. She was sure that she’d even lost entire adventures with the Doctor to these black outs. Whatever was going on with her though, she’d be fine. There was no need to worry the Doctor with this. 

Getting out of bed, Clara got dressed and headed toward the kitchen for a coffee. A cup of coffee should set her straight. Turning the corner to the kitchen, the mess she was greeted with was depressing.  
“For goodness’ sake, Doctor! You already turned the radio into a clockwork squirrel! We actually need the coffee machine!”

**SaveMe**

Missy skipped over to the TARDIS doors, spinning in small circles as she went. Today was a good day to see her friend, and their little puppy. It would be a fun day; the Doctor would squawk and sputter, and Clara would be so easy to rile up. It would be a perfect day. 

She found the door unlocked and smirked. Missy danced around the console and down the corridor. She didn’t have any particular method to finding her friends; she would happen upon them sooner or later. As she turned a corner she came to a sudden halt, Clara had a sword pointed at her throat. How had she not sensed Clara’s presence? Did Clara know how to use a sword? Where would Poppet even find a sword on this old bucket of bolts anyway?  
“Who the hell are you?” Clara shouted.

Well shit.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
> 
> A/N: If you liked this, or have some constructive criticism let me know in a comment. ~TW

Chapter 3:

Missy blinked, furrowing her eyebrows. She inspected her puppy, finding that there were a lot of miniscule differences. She wasn’t standing normally; her posture and facial features were far too defensive, even for one of their infamous standoffs.   
“Wha’ are you deaf?” Clara growled.  
“Now now Poppet, no need to get antsy,” teased Missy.

Without warning Clara lunged toward Missy. The Time Lady barely managed to dodge the blade. Missy’s veins briefly felt like ice. What was wrong with her little human?  
“Clara, what are you doing poppet? I know we have our differences, but there’s no need for this.”  
“My name isn’ Clara! It’s Scamp!” she yelled, lunging at Missy again.  
Missy dodged, putting up her hands in surrender. She had to think quickly, it wasn’t clear what was happening to Clara. From what she knew, Scamp would attack every time the Mistress spoke. Did it matter what she said?  
“So where are you from Scamp?”  
“London, not tha’ it’s any of ya bloody business.”  
“Oh, so you’re not going to attack me now. That’s progress,” teased Missy.   
“Who says I won’t?” Scamp growled.   
Ah, now there was some progress. This should be simple now.  
“I do. You’re not even holding the sword properly,” Missy goaded.  
“Shut up ya Scottish trollop!”   
“Oi haud yer wheesht! I’ve been many things, a trollop isn’t one of them,” Missy snarled “Now put down the damn sword.”  
“Why should I?”  
“Because I am the Mistress and you will obey me.”

Scamp lunged, Missy side stepped her grabbing onto Scamp’s wrist before head butting the girl. The human was knocked unconscious. As Clara began to fall, Missy grabbed her around the waist, letting go of Clara’s wrist. The sword fell, paying no attention to it Missy slung one of Clara’s arms around her shoulders. Missy half carried, half dragged Clara to the sickbay. 

Lifting Clara onto the sickbay bed, Missy dragged the scanner over. She did an overall scan of Clara’s body. The screen showed a lot of odd activity in Clara’s prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus. The activity in the hypothalamus might explain the aggression, and the behavioural oddities. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were strange though. There shouldn’t be any problems with her memories, especially after Missy had fixed the damage from the mermaid. Glancing at Clara, she noted the bruise beginning to form on Clara’s forehead. 

Missy searched through the cupboards, and found a dermal regenerator. She ran the regenerator over Clara’s skin, watching it turn to its normal olive colour. She placed a kiss upon Clara’s forehead before positioning her hand on Clara’s temples. Gently easing into Clara’s mind, the Mistress immediately flinched. 

Clara’s mind was covered in glass shards. They were everywhere, and they were scratching Missy whenever she moved. Each time she was scratched she saw an image of Clara. Oswin, the Victorian Nanny, a thief, an assassin, Scamp the street urchin, a scared little girl and those were only a few. Travelling towards the source Missy found a glacier made of glass. Most of it had been smashed out of place. It scared Missy; she didn’t know how to repair this. She’d never seen this type of damage. Moving on, Missy searched for how far the glass was spread. Ouch, skip over a puddle of glass, ouch, urgh, dodge a glass boulder, ow, shit, OW, Thete, ouch...wait, what...Thete?

Missy withdrew from Clara’s mind, only to see her friend glaring at her from the door way. His attack brows were getting more scowl-y than usual. Honestly, those things were the most expressive thing on his face.  
“What do you think you’re doing?” asked the Doctor.  
“Oh just giving the Puppy a check up. I’ve heard pets need those,” Missy replied.  
“What have you done to her?”  
“Nothing.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes and walked into Missy’s personal space.  
“I don’t believe you. What have you done Koschei?” the Doctor demanded.  
“Nothing, like I said,” Missy sighed.  
“Right, because trying to use my friends to get to me isn’t something you’d do,” the Doctor snapped.

The Mistress stiffened her expression growing stern, instead of its usual playfulness. How dare he? She wouldn’t make Clara into this, and it was clear the Doctor wasn’t up to par in looking after her human. She let him borrow her Clara, and yet he wasn’t looking after her properly.  
“I wouldn’t do that to Clara!” Missy yelled.  
“Then what the hell was that on Skaro?” He yelled back.  
“I don’t know! It’s just what happened at the time. Do you think I’d let you kill our pet?”  
“Well clearly you would! I’ve been doing my job, making sure she’s...”

Missy slapped him across the face. Just because they were friends, did not give him the right to get pretentious with her.   
“Clearly you’re not doing your job Theta! I saved her on Larily after you let her wander into the clutches of the mermaids. And now I find that Clara’s mind is damaged beyond my ability to repair!” Missy screamed “I found her acting out as one of her echoes, because she held me at sword point! Omega knows how long this has been happening. So no, you’re not doing your damn job, in caring for my Clara!”

Missy was panting a few tears rolling down her cheeks, as the Doctor stared at her. He studied her features, and suddenly it clicked. He hadn’t seen this behaviour since they were young, and Koschei had met Reinera. How had he not seen it?   
“You love her,” said the Doctor.  
“No! Of course not! I...” exclaimed Missy.  
“Koschei, the truth,” he demanded.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:See chapter 1
> 
> A/N: If you liked this, or have some constructive criticism leave me a comment. ~TW

Chapter 4:

Missy rubbed at her face. Why did Thete have to bring up questions like this?  
“Let it go...please,” Missy murmured.  
“No, come on Kos. We both know that when you bottle things up it goes sideways. Last time this happened, you tried to take over Denestos while drunk.”  
“That was one time! It was over a thousand years ago, let it go!”  
“Never, but that’s not the point. I want the truth from you for once, because Denestos happened after Reinera.”

Missy leaned on Clara’s cot and sighed. Could he just not be stubborn for once? Just once! She didn’t want to deal with emotions; she didn’t want to face up to it. Emotions were for tiny, pudding brained humans. She couldn’t help sighing when a little voice in her head reminded her that she’d taken quite a fancy to the human in front of her. Missy ran her hands through her chaotic hairstyle, hands digging into her scalp, as her breathing picked up pace. Ugh, not here, not here, not here! She was shaking all over. What the hell was happening? The environment around her no longer seemed to exist; she could only focus on the storm of anxiety. 

It wasn’t until she felt a hand on her stomach and another on her shoulder that she began to come back to reality. She was pushed up against a wall, the Doctor gently pushing her shoulders back.  
“Come on Missy, deep breaths now. I need you to get it together for Clara’s sake. Come on,” the Doctor murmured.

Missy began to take deep breaths, casting her eyes around the room. She hadn’t had an episode like this in over a millennium. Sure there was that episode with the human eating, but that was preferable to the anxiety attacks. Her last one was after the loss of her wife and daughter. Where did it all go so wrong, that this was happening again? Glancing over the Doctor’s shoulder, she remembered.  
“Don’t you let me lose her Doctor. I can’t, not again,” Missy whispered.  
“I can’t lose her either Koschei, she’s my best friend and now she’s keeping you together,” said the Doctor “I’ve already caused you pain because she wasn’t here to stop me being too harsh. We’re both going down if we lose her.”   
“God...”  
“Oh come on, you’re the ego maniac not me.”

Missy giggled, before resting her head against the wall and the Doctor joined her in her laughter. It was these small moments that the Doctor and the Mistress were more friends than enemies. It was like they could just go back to their childhood innocence, the simple ease of a long friendship. It was the only simple and predictable thing in their lives now.

After a prolonged silence, Clara groaned from the other side of the room. Both Gallifreyans scurried over to the Impossible Girl. Looking down at her, she seemed serene at first before she noticed Missy. Clara scooted over to the Doctor, clinging to him for dear life. Missy simply kept her expression nonchalant.  
“What the hell is she doing here Doctor? What are they both doing here?” shouted Clara.  
“Missy is here to help you Clara. She saved you just before,” replied the Doctor.  
“What about the other one?” asked Clara.  
“Poppet, there’s no one else here but us,” said Missy.  
“Yes, there is! The boy in the corner,” Clara protested.   
“Clara there isn...” the Doctor started.  
“Doctor, shush! What does he look like Clara?” Missy asked.  
“He’s pale and skinny, with dark hair and blue eyes. He’s being joined by a boy with blonde hair and brown eyes,” said Clara.  
Missy looked up at the Doctor in shock. He seemed to have come to the same realisation. It was them. 

Before either of them was able to stop her, Clara jumped up and ran out of the room. They chased after her. How she’d run so fast, neither of them knew. They got to the console room and found the TARDIS doors swinging wide open. Missy gasped as she remembered that they were on Phratos. Not much was known about the people of this planet, as they were shy and mysterious. They could be a real threat to Clara for all the Time Lords knew.   
“Doctor get a lock on her life signs!” Missy exclaimed, running through the open doors. 

Missy scanned the horizon for signs of the Puppy but there was nothing. How could Clara simply disappear into the night? Missy ran back inside the TARDIS, past the Doctor and into the wardrobe. She grabbed some jeans, a purple t shirt and a black jacket. She pulled on some sensible joggers, and tied her hair into a pony tail. She ran back into the console room.   
“Where is she?”  
“She’s running toward a cave system, and hasn’t slowed once. It’s not normal for a human to run that fast for that long, even trained sprinters have trouble.”   
“Right then, after her.”

The Mistress ran out of the doors again, the Doctor hot on her heels this time. If it hadn’t been for the danger of the situation, it would have been like the old days on Gallifrey. They ran for miles before reaching the cave system that the Doctor had been talking about. Missy searched the ground for signs of Clara. She spotted Clara’s boot prints, as well as an older set of bare footprints. The other prints looked human, except for the claw marks ahead of the toes. Clara had run right into a Phratoan. Taking a pinch of dirt from the ground, Missy sniffed at it. It still held Clara’s scent, confirming that it was Clara’s footprints.  
“This way,” said Missy.  
“I didn’t know you could track and hunt. I always thought that would be beneath you,” said the Doctor.  
“May I remind that you’re the one with the allergic reactions to killing, not me,” Missy snapped.

The pair ran into the cave system following the footprints as best they could. The cave system was becoming darker, the further in they went. Missy used the light from her Diephone to light their path. The prints were becoming harder to follow, along the better used routes. It had to have been hours. The Doctor was becoming exhausted as time stretched. The Mistress seemed to be running on sheer determination and adrenaline. They came to a fork in the road, where they lost Clara’s footprints. Skidding to a halt, both Time Lords doubled over and panted.  
“Where the hell could she have gone?” Missy growled.   
“I don’t know,” said the Doctor.  
“Since when could humans run so fast?” asked Missy.  
“I don’t know.”  
“Are you going to be helpful at all Old Man?”  
“Are you going to calm down and use that infamous mind of yours?”

Missy huffed, searching for Clara’s footprints in the trampled earth. It was like playing ‘Where’s Wally’. She leaned against the cave wall, trying to regain her breath. The Doctor was kneeling, trying to do the same. If they hadn’t been so panicked, they might have thought to take some water with them. 

It was then that Missy saw a small movement in the dark and heard what sounded like a foot scraping dirt. She watched as lamp like eyes stared at her from a distance. Missy straightened, keeping her eyes on the threat. The creature moved at lightning speeds, as Missy found herself suddenly pinned against the wall. The creature was female, her features were very familiar and her eye colour the carbon copy of Missy’s own.  
“Who the hell are you?” the girl growled “Why are you wearing my mother’s face Skinwalker?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
> 
> A/N: If you liked this, or have some constructive criticism let me know in a comment. ~TW

Chapter 5:

Missy stared at the young woman’s face. She could only have been around fifteen or sixteen. Despite some other rather alien features, Missy saw a lot of her current body’s features. The prominent cheek and jaw bones, the brunette hair and the ice blue eyes. However the girl had dark green scales replacing her eyebrows, surrounding her face and twining around her arms and legs. There were olive coloured spikes at her elbows, with claws of the same colour on her hands and feet. The last strange thing though, was what had Missy transfixed. The girl had slits for pupils, it was hypnotising.  
“Did you not hear me Skinwalker?” yelled the girl “Who are you and why do you wear my mother’s face?”  
“Calm down, we’re just trying to find our friend. She ran through here a while ago,” said the Doctor.

The girl roared at the Doctor, exposing top and bottom fangs where her eye teeth should be. The Doctor backed away from her, hoping Missy could talk her way out of the situation instead of killing the girl. The girl turned back to where she had pinned Missy.  
“Answer my question for Laxus’ sake!”  
“Alright, my name is Missy. I’m not sure why I’m wearing your mother’s face...nor do I know what a skinwalker is,” said Missy “I just want to find my friend. You might have seen her. She’s short, beautiful and has rather large eyes.”   
“That sounds like Clara...why are you looking for my mother’s mate?” the girl asked, letting Missy go.

The girl’s scales, horns, claws and pupils faded; leaving a more human looking girl in the creature’s place.  
“She’s our friend,” said the Doctor.  
“She’s never mentioned either of you. Please, don’t take her away...we only just got her back,” pleaded the girl.  
“Alright, come on Poppet. Why don’t you start by telling us your name,” said Missy.  
“I am Leonora, daughter of Saira,” said the girl.  
“Why are you worried about Clara being taken away Leonora?” the Doctor asked.  
“She met my mother and me when I was nine. My mother and Clara fell in love within the year, and things were so much better. My mother became more affectionate with me,” said Leonora “Then one day a Skinwalker came and tried to save our planet. All my mother and I know is that when he showed up, Clara disappeared.”  
“Why do you call us Skinwalkers, and how do you know we are?” asked the Doctor.   
“The Skinwalker that came before changed his face in a flash of gold. You two smell the same although, he smelled a lot older.”  
“Leonora, take us to your mother and Clara. You see Clara is quite sick and we need to help her,” said Missy.

The Doctor glanced at Missy. He hadn’t seen her be diplomatic since they were children.  
“Well Clara does smell a little off...ok follow me,” said Leonora “It’s going to be at least another day’s travel. I can’t pick you both up and run, like I did for Clara.”  
The Doctor was astounded by what had just happened. On any other day he would have had to stop Missy killing the person she perceived to be in her way.  
“Um, what just happened?” asked the Doctor telepathically.  
“I got the girl to lead us to Clara,” said Missy.  
“But you didn’t threaten her.”  
“Did you want me to? I could.”  
“No, no! I guess my question is: why?”  
“Because she’s pretty and well...I think you know the other reason.”  
“Dya-“  
“Don’t!”

The Doctor fell silent, reeling from the revelation. It was shocking; it had been so long since they had interacted like this that he’d forgotten how complicated Missy was.

**SaveMe**

The trio arrived a day later to find a small village. The houses were basic and made of wood. The village was spread out across a large valley. The valley itself was lush and green. Trees dotted the landscape, a river coming off a waterfall and disappearing underground. 

Leonora led Missy and the Doctor toward a house on the edge furthest from the cave entrance. Upon nearing the house, two women could be heard laughing. One could be distinctly recognised as Clara. Leonora opened the door and allowed the Doctor and Missy to enter.  
“Mother, Clara we have visitors,” said Leonora.

Missy began to see red as she watched her carbon copy nuzzle at Clara’s jaw. Leonora’s mother, presumably Saira lifted Clara off her lap and turned to her visitors. Her eyes widened when she saw Missy.   
“Leonora, explain this immediately,” Saira demanded.  
“I found them in the caves Mother. They said they were Clara’s friends, but they’re Skinwalkers,” Leonora explained “They’re not as old as the last one and they don’t seem like they want to hurt us.”  
“The other one didn’t want to hurt us either and yet he’s the one responsible for Beastials being hunted. It’s why we have to hide now, it was his fault,” Saira reprimanded “Now who the hell are you two and what do you want? The truth this time, I won’t be as easily convinced as my daughter.”

The Doctor and Missy glanced at each other. Neither of them was good at dealing with people at this point in time. Missy liked for people to just get on with things, and the Doctor had little social understanding in his current body. Nevertheless, it seemed that the Doctor might make the more believable case.  
“Ma’am, I am the Doctor and this is my friend Missy. You see, she and I are Clara’s friends,” said the Doctor “At the moment Clara has been suffering from a mental injury.” 

At that moment both Saira and Leonora stood up, phasing into their reptilian forms. Each was growling as they moved in front of Clara.  
“Are you calling my mate insane?” yelled Saira.  
“No, of course she’s not, she’s not crazy. I should know, being a little bonkers myself,” said Missy “Having checked her over, it seems to me that her memories have been damaged.”  
“Why the hell should I believe you Skinwalker? You stole my face,” growled Saira.  
“Not intentionally, but it is rather gorgeous don’t you think,” teased Missy.

Saira roared at Missy, beginning to crouch defensively. The Doctor could feel the aggression pouring off the two Phratoans, and he knew Missy was itching for a fight.   
“Look I know that it’s difficult to believe us but I can explain how Missy got that face...physically speaking,” said the Doctor.  
“Go on,” Saira growled.  
The Doctor took a deep breath, before walking over to take a seat at the small dinner table.  
“For us...Skinwalkers, changing our faces isn’t something we do all the time. It happens when we’re about to die,” the Doctor explained “Some of us have better control over what face we take, but sometimes even those with control, can’t control what they look like. For example, Missy here would usually take a male form.”

The two women phased back, taking a seat in the room. Saira brought Clara into her side.  
“So why did you not take your usual male form?” asked Clara.  
“I...I, well I was tortured before taking this form. I was so badly injured by that point that I couldn’t think clearly enough to decide what I looked like,” Missy murmured.  
The Doctor frowned, mentally noting that he should talk about to Missy about that later.  
“Interesting, so some force decided to give you my face,” said Saira.  
“That is the general gist of it, yes,” Missy replied  
“You may stay. I don’t think you have the same Clara, but if you need the proof then you may have it. But if you hurt her I’ll kill you myself,” Saira threatened.

**SaveMe**

Missy sat on the grass, 200 metres away from the cave entrance. She hugged her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her legs. The air chilled against her face, she wished she had her normal clothes they were much warmer. She had to try and prove to a non-psychic, technologically lacking race that Clara, was hurt and belonged with her and her best friend. There had to be a way. She wanted to burn this stupid village to the ground but how could she? Not only was her carbon copy and her copy’s daughter here, but Clara would be so angry if she ever found out. 

Missy huffed in frustration at her lack of options. This was the Doctor’s lark not hers.  
“Are you ok?” asked Clara.  
“Not particularly Poppet,” said Missy.  
“Saira calls me and Leonora that too. Do you love your Clara?”  
“I-I.”  
“You don’t know. That’s okay, Saira didn’t either. It’s funny, you’ve never met each other and yet you’re ridiculously alike. It’s not just your looks.”  
“I suppose.”  
Missy and Clara sat in silence together, staring at the night sky.

**SaveMe**

The Doctor walked up the hill, to talk to Leonora. She struck him as a clever, compassionate young lady. He wanted to find out more about this planet, and the Phratoans. It seemed to him that Leonora knew this place better than the other residents. She had such a love for her mother, and Clara. She basked in the affection her mother gave her in short bursts. The only question he could ask was: why?

He sat down beside her but she didn’t react, she was watching Missy and Clara. He wasn’t sure what was going through her head, but he knew she was scared.  
“You’re scared,” the Doctor stated.  
“Awfully forward of you,” said Leonora.  
“You’re awfully formal for a sixteen year old,” the Doctor replied.  
“It comes with being the daughter of the Village Guardian.”

He could tell she was scared, and she seemed to be imitating Saira’s curt, formal tones.  
“So if you’re as tough as you’re making yourself seem...why are you so scared?” asked the Doctor.  
“Seriously, that’s not obvious after everything you heard today?” Leonora replied.  
“I want to hear you say it.”  
“Ugh, fine! I’m scared that we’re going to lose Clara again. I’m scared that if we do, my Mother will react badly. I don’t want her to go back to being cold, like she was before she met Clara,” said Leonora, her breath hitching. 

The Doctor stared at this young woman, why was it that children were always more insightful than adults?   
“What was your mother like before meeting Clara?” the Doctor murmured.  
“Cold, she was cold. She never showed me affection. I think it has to do with a mixture of whatever my father did and having to survive the Beastial hunts,” Leonora explained “Clara changed everything. She showed my mother how to love again, and Mother started to show me that she loved me. I’m scared if we lose Clara again, that’s what it will be like. I couldn’t stand it if that happens.”  
“You know, sometimes adults aren’t great at showing affection but your mother will always love you. If Clara has taught her to be affectionate then she won’t revert.”  
“How do you know?”  
“Because once Clara Oswald gets in your head, she doesn’t leave, believe me.”

It was at that moment that Leonora stood up. She sniffed at the air, her eyes widening as she looked at the cave entrance.  
“A hunting party...oh Laxus, Clara’s down there! Doctor, go to the village! Get Mum!” she exclaimed.  
She scramble down the hill and ran toward the oncoming hunters.

**SaveMe**

The silence was comfortable; this version of Clara was as perceptive as her Clara. Missy savoured the rare moment of mental peace. Normally her thoughts raced along, and didn’t stop. Something that went along with being that little bit bonkers. She heard a twig snap nearby and snapped her head toward the sound. She saw the oncoming party of aggressive looking men and women. They were drawing weapons, and Missy knew that a fight was coming. She smirked, finally someone she could take her stress out on.  
“Clara, run. Get to Saira, don’t do anything stupid Puppy,” ordered Missy, pushing Clara up and away. 

Missy grounded herself, taking her Diephone out of her pocket. Without question, she began disintegrating the oncoming combatants. A woman came at her from the side, almost hitting Missy when a tall lithe figure crashed into the attacker. Leonora was all claws and fangs as she joined the fray. Taking on the party, the pair was quickly becoming overwhelmed. Missy saw Leonora take a knife to the shoulder, and immediately saw red. She grabbed the girl, twisting her to her side whilst shooting the man.

Saira jumped over Missy’s head, leading a band of villagers. All of them were in Beastial form but not all of them were reptilian like Saira and Leonora. Missy let Leonora go, but kept a close eye on the girl. The battle ended quickly and the villagers took care of the bodies. Luckily the only injured person was Leonora. Saira ran to her daughter and hugged her, before inspecting her wounds.   
“Oh Laxus, I could have lost you,” Saira murmured.  
“It was Missy, she got me out of the way and killed the man,” said Leonora.

Saira turned to Missy and nodded. Missy nodded back, she understood what her doppelganger meant. Saira scooped Leonora up, holding her bridal style. She began to jog toward the centre of the village, Missy close behind. Missy couldn’t help but be impressed by her counterpart’s athleticism. They entered the largest building in the village. It was bare mostly except for a throne and a fire pit in the middle. Saira placed her daughter on the throne, as Clara rushed over with medical supplies. Clara worked to patch Leonora’s wound, and Saira nuzzled at her daughter’s jaw. Apparently some beast like qualities translated into other behaviours. To Leonora’s credit, she barely winced and only hissed a few times.

The Doctor stepped up beside Missy. He placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling down at her. Missy rolled her eyes at him. He couldn’t possibly think she’d turned good.  
“You know, the Phratoans medicine is amazing for their societal advancement. Using only a paste to accelerate their healing ability, Leonora will be healed almost instantly,” the Doctor stated “You did a good job out there.”

Missy stared at him, wondering if he’d lost it. He chuckled at her.  
“I’m the metaphorical vegetarian, not you. At least you used your skills with a better purpose than destruction in mind this time,” he said.  
“I just wanted a fight that’s all,” she sighed.   
He rolled his eyes at her and they watched as Clara whispered something to Saira and Leonora. Missy couldn’t help but remember when she, Reinera and Dyara were like that; all loving, and benignly secretive. Saira and Leonora walked over to the Time Lords dragging them in different directions. The Doctor, Clara and Saira were near the throne in deep discussion. Leonora dragged Missy to the fire, making her sit and then laying down, placing her head in Missy’s lap. Missy dragged her left hand through Leonora’s hair, enjoying the girl’s serene expression. With her right hand she removed her Diephone, preparing to aim it. She wanted to see what the girl could do. Leonora spun and grabbed Missy’s device, faster than Missy could see.  
“Mum does that too,” she chuckled.

The girl smirked and gently tossed the device over her shoulder. Leonora positioned herself to leap for it, and Missy realised what the girl wanted her to do. With a wicked smirk Missy tackled the girl mid leap. They tussled back and forth on the dirt floor. Missy hadn’t had a good rough and tumble like this in centuries. She hadn’t thought this was something women were prone to, outside of necessity or sport. The girl put up a good fight, but in Leonora’s tired state Missy managed to pin and tickle the young woman. 

Out of nowhere Clara, tackled her off her pinning position and began to wrestle with her. Missy laughed as she fought back. She could hear Leonora’s shrieks as the Doctor tickled her. To Leonora’s credit, she managed to gain the upper hand for a while. Saira cackled in the background at the antics of her child and her mate. 

Clara rolled Missy onto her back, pinning Missy’s hands above her head. Then as if the fog had finally lifted, Clara gasped.  
“Missy? What the hell? Where am I?” Clara exclaimed.  
Clara shuffled backwards, and Missy jerked up to catch her. She grabbed hold of Clara’s arms, steadying her little human.  
“Clara, what do you remember?” Missy asked.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
> 
> A/N: If you liked this, or have some constructive criticism let me know in a comment. ~TW

Chapter 6:

“Clara, what do you remember?” Missy asked.  
Clara shook her head and tried to struggle out of Missy’s grasp. It would be a lie to say that it didn’t hurt Missy to see Clara afraid of her; but after everything, she deserved it. The Doctor ran over to the two women, putting a hand on Clara’s shoulder.  
“Clara, breathe. She’s here to help you,” said the Doctor. 

Clara shook her head, blinking and struggling. It was too much, she couldn’t remember where she was, and why was Missy looking so concerned. Saira ran over to the trio and crouched in front of Clara.  
“Clara, love it’s ok. I won’t let them hurt you,” Saira murmured.  
“Oh god, Doctor why are there two of them?” asked Clara.

Clara struggled out of Missy’s grasp and out of the doors. Leonora looked at the trio on the other side of the room. Her heart broke; not only for her mother but also for Missy. Missy smelled wrong to Leonora, but she seemed to love Clara even if she wouldn’t admit it.  
“I’ll go talk to her,” said Leonora, running outside.  
**SaveMe**

Clara ran out to the open grassland. She fell to her knees, crying into her hands. What was happening to her? She was confused, she couldn’t remember anything. The last thing she remembered was being in the kitchen making tea. How did she get here? Why were there two Missys? Dear god, what was happening? Clara was so drawn into herself, that she didn’t hear Leonora come up behind her.

“Clara?”  
Clara whipped her head around to stare at the girl behind her.  
“I’m Leonora; I suppose you don’t remember that anymore. I’m here to help, I know that you’re scared but please let me help,” said Leonora.

Clara trembled, wondering who this girl was. Leonora seemed kind enough. Leonora kneeled down beside Clara and wrapped an arm around her. Clara leaned into Leonora and cried. She cried herself to sleep. Leonora looked down at Clara sleeping next to her, and kissed Clara’s cheek.  
“Bye Mama, I love you even though you’ve forgotten me now. Thank you for everything, I hope you find love like you did with Mother,” Leonora murmured.

She lifted Clara bridal style and went back toward the town hall. She wanted to cry, but that would have to be done later when her mother wasn’t watching.

**SaveMe**

Clara felt the weird sensation of floating. The first thing she noticed was the growling and snapping of a wolf in front of her. The damn thing was huge! She heard other wolves howling in the distance. This was becoming terrifying, why was everything so big. Clara turned her head in a mirror and noticed: a large, grey owl hovering over her, and a black cat with white socks and ice blue eyes on the shelf above the owl. The last thing she noticed was that the reflection of herself was a black and white Cardigan Corgi. 

The wolf jumped toward Clara, at the same time the cat (who had been nonchalant the entire time) jumped from her shelf onto the wolf hissing, and clawing at the wolf’s head. The wolf managed to shake off the cat. The cat rolled back onto her feet; hissing, her fur standing on end. The owl above Clara screeched at the wolf. The wolf suddenly stood tall and morphed into Clara. Puppy Clara whimpered, as the cat and the owl attacked the human Clara. The human ran away and the other two animals turned back to her.   
“Come on Clara, time to get up,” said the Owl.  
Why did he sound like the Doctor?  
“Come on lazy bones, aren’t puppies full of energy?” said the Cat.  
“Missy?”  
“Now she gets it. Why do we keep her around Thete?”  
“Missy!” the Doctor scolded.

The cat made a petulant face, tossing her head about to mock her friend. The Doctor rolled his eyes at Missy’s antics.  
“How are we all...like this?” yipped Clara.  
“Oh honestly,” sighed Missy “You’re dreaming, the Doctor and I are trying to wake you up. So come on wakey wakey Sleeping Beauty.”   
“Well at least you think I’m beautiful,” said Clara.  
“Never said I didn’t Poppet,” Missy drawled.  
“Oh, come on. No bantering! I’m against it, now come on Clara time to get up!” the Doctor groaned.

The dream faded around them and Clara found lips pressed against her own. Her first instinct was to freeze, the next thing she knew it was all tongues. The lips were quite feminine...wait. Clara’s eyes popped open and widened when she realised Missy was kissing her.   
“Morning Sleeping Beauty,” Missy crowed.  
“Tongue?” asked the Doctor.  
“Shut up!”

The Doctor laughed. Not just any laugh, a full blown belly laugh. Clara had never heard the Doctor laugh like this, in this body. Missy looked over at him and smiled wickedly. Missy looked back at her puppy and then pounced on her best friend. Her fingers danced along the Doctor’s rib cage.  
“What...oh gods...Missy...stop it...I surrender,” the Doctor cackled.   
Missy continued in spite of the Doctor’s protest.  
“What do you say puppy? Shall we stop?” purred the Mistress.  
“We’d better, he’s our ride out of here,” said Clara.  
“Hmph, party pooper,” said Missy.

The Doctor chuckled at them. The Mistress raised an eyebrow at him.  
“Knock it off, or I’ll set the cat on you,” Clara threatened.  
Both Time Lords stared as Clara walked up the hill. Missy was the first to recover chasing after Clara giggling manically, The Doctor sprinted after them. Missy reached Clara, pecking her on the cheek. It was Clara’s turn to be shocked, while Missy giggled.  
“Nutjob,” Clara muttered.  
“You know I think I prefer Cat,” Missy giggled.   
“The Doctor will be called Owl if we’re not careful,” Clara replied.  
“Only if we’re undercover, and it’s Doctor Owl to you,” said the Doctor, nonchalantly. 

The trio were laughing as they walked over the hill to find Saira and Leonora sparring. Leonora lunged at her mother, and Saira flipped her daughter onto the ground. Leonora groaned, and sprung back up jumping lightly on the spot.  
“Think before you move kiddo,” Saira instructed. 

The two women circled each other, darting in to attack and away again. It was like they were both waiting for something, and then it was Leonora who suddenly pushed her mother five metres away onto the ground. Clara gasped in awe.  
“That’s amazing! Who are they?” Clara asked.

The Doctor grimaced, knowing that Saira and her lovely daughter were about to have their hearts broken. The Mistress knew it too and smirked, this lookalike would know that Clara belonged with her. She wouldn’t even have to kill to get this revenge, it was all without effort. It was delicious.   
“That’s Saira and Leonora,” the Doctor explained “Apparently one of your echoes knew them. In fact you were Saira’s mate, and Leonora’s step mother.”  
“What? What do you mean my echoes?”  
“Well I think that’s an explanation best left for the TARDIS.”  
“Doct...”  
“No, Clara not now.”

The two Phratoans looked up and watched as the trio walked toward them. Leonora already knew her mother’s heart was breaking. She put her hand on her mother’s shoulder, frowning when she saw the smirk on Missy’s face. She noticed Missy’s hand had entered her pocket. Knowing what the Mistress kept in her jacket, Leonora pounced disarming the Mistress. She pushed the Mistress into the Doctor’s arms.  
“Take your women and get out! You’ve caused enough harm,” Leonora growled.  
She threw the Diephone to the ground; then took her mother’s hand, and led her back to their home. 

**SaveMe**

“What the hell was that?” the Doctor yelled.  
Missy skipped around the console flicking switches.  
“I was tired of that doppelganger looking at my puppy, like she belongs to her,” sniffed Missy.   
“I don’t bloody belong to you either! I don’t belong to anyone,” Clara snapped. 

The Doctor stopped Missy in her tracks. Clara noticed that his expression was turning stormy, things were about to go sideways. Just as Clara predicted, the Doctor and Missy were yelling at each other but she couldn’t understand a word. It took her a minute to realise they were yelling in Gallifreyan. She shook her head, this was ridiculous.  
“Oi!” Clara screamed “You can argue later. Right now, I’m tired, I want answers and I’m in need of a human minute. Now start explaining what happened on that planet.”

The Time Lords glared at each other, Missy throwing the Doctor the two fingered salute. The Doctor rolled his eyes at Missy, before returning his attention to Clara.  
“As I said earlier, your echoes are causing havoc.”  
“Care to elaborate on that?”  
“Well, after the incident on Larily V something happened with your memories despite Missy fixing your mind,” explained the Doctor.  
“Wait, Missy fixed me?” Clara squawked.  
“Don’t expect it to become a habit Puppy,” Missy snarled.

The Doctor glanced at Missy, wondering if she had an actual reason to be snippy this time. Clara seemed to still be in shock, standing still leaning on the railing.  
“Anyway it seems that the damage has caused some of them to resurface, and you become them for a while. We’re not sure what is triggering the change at this point. Have you been experiencing anything other than this?” said the Doctor.

Clara was reeling, how could this be what was happening to her? She was trying to process this and she just couldn’t. She ran from the console room, down the TARDIS corridors. The two Gallifreyans rubbed their faces with their palms. Missy began to follow Clara.  
“Missy, I think you’re the last person she wants to see,” warned the Doctor.  
“Go to hell! She doesn’t need you babying her. She needs to tell us what has been happening and we’re not going to get that with her in hysterics,” Missy snapped “Maybe you’ve missed it you blithering idiot, but she thinks better when she’s angry or stressed. She’s not going to get that sort of motivation from you.”

The Mistress stalked down the corridors in search of Clara. She was not in a good mood, and she was discontent with trying to be ‘good’. She eventually found Clara in the library by the fire. Clara seemed to be distant. She sat next to the human, assessing the best way to get a rise from her.   
“Poppet now isn’t the time to be stupid and emotional. I thought you were smarter than the other puppies,” said Missy.   
“Shut up Missy, you have no idea what it’s like to watch yourself go insane!”

Missy saw red; this jumped up, cocky little shit was accusing her of not knowing insanity? Her, of all people! It took everything Missy had not to give in to her base instincts and kill Clara.   
“Poppet, I don’t call myself bonkers for the fun of it,” said Missy.  
“No kidding, but you’re not the one dreaming about another you killing you; or hallucinating complete with the hallucination talking to you. Not to mention the amount of time I keep losing!” Clara snapped.

Missy sat back satisfied with the information but still peeved at Clara’s accusation. She folded her arms and stared into the fire. The girl drove her mad, she wanted to kill the human and yet another part of her couldn’t function if Clara were dead. She was deep in thought when Clara grabbed her chin, turning her head. Clara kissed her passionately, moving to straddle Missy’s lap. She took Missy’s hair out of its tie, running her hands through the soft locks. Clara pushed Missy’s jacket off as she licked Missy’s upper lip to gain entrance. 

Missy ran her hands down Clara’s sides, teasing her fingers on the hem of Clara’s shirt. She let Clara’s tongue into her mouth, moaning. She had to admit, her human was wicked. They spent a few moments like that before Clara moved to Missy’s neck. It made Missy moan, she didn’t remember ever being this vocal before, even in her previous forms.   
“I knew you couldn’t stay mad at me Sai,” Clara sighed. 

Missy’s eyes popped open, moving her neck away from Clara’s mouth. Sai? That could only be short for...oh shit! She used her superior strength to deposit Clara on the couch, scrambling away from the human. There were many despicable things that Missy enjoyed but this was not one of them. Sex had never been something she’d used to get to her enemies. She found it disgusting to do that to someone, and beneath her to do so.  
She wound her arms around her torso, and stared into the fire. She’d almost...Rassilon! That had been too close for comfort. She felt thin arms wrap around her waist and a small body press against her body.  
“Saira, what’s wrong?”  
Clara pressed a kiss to the back of the Mistress’ neck. Missy turned in Clara’s arms, trying to keep her face blank. She put her hands on Clara’s shoulders not bothering to move out of Clara’s arms.  
“I’m not Saira darling. I know I look like her but I’m not her. I’m Missy, and right now you’re not my Clara. You’re an echo,” said Missy.  
“Missy, where is Saira?” asked Clara, removing her arms.   
“She’s back on Phratos.”  
“If you knew all that, why did you let me do what we just did?”  
“Because...because I thought it was my Clara doing that.”

Clara stared at Missy nonplussed. Missy put her head in her hands, sighing with a shudder. She wished she’d killed Saira when she’d had the chance. At least then she could have relieved some of the stress. She had never realised what it was like being on the other end of someone’s mental break. She’d always thought the Doctor had had it easy, but she had been wrong. This felt terrible.   
“You’re one of my Clara’s echoes from when she stepped into the Doctor’s time stream.”  
“So I’ll...I’ll fade away?”  
“Eventually, but you might pop back up again. You seem to be one of the nicer ones.”

Clara raised an eyebrow, before sitting on the couch and petting the space next to her. Missy sat beside her with a frustrated sigh. Clara pushed Missy into the corner of the couch. Panicked, Missy tried to get up.  
“Don’t fight it, just lie back and hold me as if I were your Clara.”

Missy was shocked, her Clara would have been suspicious immediately, but this one was so...innocent. In spite of her reaction she leaned back, opening her arms. Clara pillowed her head on Missy’s chest, winding her arms around the Time Lady’s waist. Missy wound her arms around Clara, threading a hand through the brunette’s hair.  
“So what did you mean by I’m one of the nicer ones?” Clara asked.  
“Well the first one I met, Scamp...she tried to run me through with a sword,” Missy explained.  
“Bet you found it funny though,” giggled Clara.  
“It was a little amusing,” Missy admitted.  
“But?”

Missy paused her movements, she wasn’t sure if she should be truthful or not. Clara didn’t seem to remember her time as an echo, when she had surfaced earlier. Perhaps, she could at least admit it and have it off her chest. No, that wasn’t the answer.  
“It was amusing but it was a little irritating. Scamp couldn’t even hold the sword properly; I’ve had better threats made by Ood.” 

Clara giggled and seemed to buy Missy’s answer. The two stayed in front of the fire enjoying each other’s company. Missy wondered if it could be like this with her Clara, once she was fixed. Saira’s Clara listened to the strange heart beat of Missy’s two hearts, while Missy continued to play with Clara’s hair. The two fell asleep in each other’s arms on the couch that night, and that’s how the Doctor found them a few hours later. He thought he should wake them, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. The Doctor knew this would be the best rest either of his friends had had in a long time. He could even admit to himself that they looked sweet curled up like that.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
> 
> A/N: If you liked this, or have some constructive criticism let me know in a comment. ~TW

Chapter 7: 

Missy woke first, and felt a warm weight on her side. She opened her eyes and smiled seeing Clara cuddled into her side. She then noticed that a blanket had been laid across them and tucked in. The Doctor had obviously done it. It felt like a throwback to when he wore a long coat and converses. Missy hummed Feeling Good by Michael Buble, as she gently lifted Clara up and put her back down on the couch. She pulled the blanket around her puppy and walked out. After all, it wouldn’t do to have the real Clara wake up and see Missy as anything less than a psychopath. 

Missy wandered off to find the Doctor; she tried the console room first. It was empty; she went to the secondary library and found him. This was where he stored books on things; his companions would never understand, or would fear to the potential point of aggression. He was bent over a desk studying a ridiculously thick novel.   
“Whatcha doin’?” asked Missy.  
“Trying to find a way to fix Clara,” The Doctor replied.  
“Any psychic books?”  
“They’re all psychic; I’m just terrible at communicating with them.”  
“I’m not.”

Missy smirked at the Doctor’s scowl. She spread her psyche out amongst the books.  
“Is there a book in here that deals with shattered memories? If so, I’d appreciate you coming out to help forthwith.” Missy shouted.  
“Me! Me! I can help; I’ve got some basic facts on it. There’s a grumpier guy in the back who is a little more extensive,” a book exclaimed.  
“Let’s start with you,” said Missy.  
A book flew into Missy’s hand, and Missy smirked at the Doctor.  
“Show off,” growled the Doctor.  
“Oh come on, you’ve always been bad at telepathy,” teased Missy.  
“And you’ve always been a cuddle sponge but I’m just reminding you,” the Doctor chuckled.  
“Shut up!”  
“Nope.”  
“I’ll kick your arse for this.”  
“No you won’t!”  
“Fuck you!”  
“Nah, I’m fine thanks.”

Missy glared at the Doctor. Had they really just gone back to being teenagers? The Doctor laughed at his friend’s irritation. It wasn’t often that he managed to get one up on Koschei. Missy huffed and opened the book to try and find the information she wanted.  
“Try page 73. Hope that helps,” said the book.  
“You’re awfully cheerful,” Missy huffed.  
“Well I keep an ear out in this place. I know that the Little Miss is sick. I thought my owner and yourself would be happier if I was helpful.”  
“Well, aren’t you sweet?”  
“Thank you, Mistress.”

Missy chuckled at the book. It sounded like a child, and it was very willing to be helpful. Turning to page 73, Missy read about shattered memories. She was suddenly struck as to how difficult the situation was. She’d known that it would be difficult to fix, but this was frightening. She quickly dumped the book with Thete and went in search of the ‘grumpier book in the back’. She listened for a book grouching about whatever it is books get grumpy about. She heard a grumbling sound and headed toward it. All of a sudden the grouching turned to a loud four beat drumming. Missy stumbled back, then snarled and marched forward. She would not be beaten by a book.

The Mistress found the grumpy, old dust collector at the very back of the library. She grabbed it and had to force it open. It was written in old Gallifreyan, no wonder it was cranky. As Missy continued reading, she counted at least four illegal items, six rare ones and an item that was only plentiful on Skaro. Fan-bloody-tastic! It was a good thing she didn’t have high morals then. She stalked back over to Thete, thumping the book on his desk.  
“Right, I’m off. Got retail therapy to do!” squeaked Missy. 

Before the Doctor could say anything, Missy had punched coordinates into her vortex manipulator and left. He sighed, and read the book she’d left. His eyes widened at the list of items needed; Shrasher fur, a cortex manipulator, Regalia sap, and an antimatter core, all illegal items. Then there was; lithium wiring, grounded Verasca mineral, shredded Carpskrall, Venalian powder, Lowra leaves and Latheral palm sap, all of those were rare. The last item on the list sent the Doctor’s eyebrows shooting upwards. Skaris root, only plentiful on Skaro. Although he wished he could help the Mistress, he knew she’d gone because she’d have an easier time acquiring the necessary items. He knew she’d also trusted him to look after Clara. If anything happened to Clara on his watch, Missy would finally kill him. He was certain of that.

**SaveMe**

Clara winced as the atmosphere turned cold. There had been a warm, protective if chaotic presence earlier. She’d liked it, it was comforting. Then it had left and everything felt scarier. It was like the gears of a machine had started turning of their own accord. Clara whimpered as she heard eerie howling in the distance. The shadows were creeping over the light and Clara ran away. 

The shadows were gaining on her and the howls were getting closer. She ran into a cliff face and turned to face a pack of over a hundred wolves coming toward her. They were black, some of them rotting. They halted and shifted into various, mean and scary looking forms of Clara. She screamed, and waited for death. The next thing she knew, a hand grabbed her own.  
“Run!” said another Clara. 

Clara did as her twin said. This one seemed nice; she was wearing a red dress with a tool belt. They ran far, and fast into a well lit cave. Clara saw a lot of versions of herself in the cave. These ones seemed nicer than the wolf pack.  
“So I’m Oswin,” said Clara’s twin. 

Clara gawked at her twin. This was surreal; this had to be in her head. This could not be happening to her.   
“Just because it’s happening in your head, why should that mean it’s not real?” asked Oswin.  
Clara’s puppy-esque eyes widened at Oswin’s comment. This was getting more and more ridiculous.   
“We’re in your subconscious Clara,” said Oswin “Now I’m going to tell you something before you wake up and you have to remember it. You ready?”

Clara nodded, wondering what the hell was about to happen.  
“You need to trust her. No matter what happens, no matter what she does. Trust that she’ll protect you,” Oswin instructed.  
“Trust her? Trust who?” asked Clara.

Oswin said a long, unintelligible name before pushing Clara back. Clara screamed as she had the sensation of leaving her organs behind. She came back to consciousness to somebody shaking her and making an almighty racket. She soon realised that the racket was her screaming.  
“Clara!” exclaimed the Doctor “It’s okay, it’s just a nightmare.”

Clara looked up at her friend, and hugged him. She just needed to hang on to something real for a while. Little did she realise that another Gallifreyan was out in the universe fighting for Clara’s sanity; someone who would do anything to keep Clara with her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See chapter 1. I also do not own Feeling Good by Michael Buble.
> 
> A/N: If you liked this, or have some constructive criticism let me know in a comment.~TW

Chapter 8:

Missy smirked as she stuffed the antimatter core into her bag. Honestly all that fuss over one itty bitty antimatter core. She wasn’t even going to make a bomb out of it this time. The Federation building was burning and the people inside had no way out. Missy had disabled the transporters and then locked the doors before disabling the manual override system; then to add the cherry on top, had taken out the irrigation system. For a society that considered themselves so advanced, they were incredibly stupid and naive. As she walked away, the Mistress heard dying screams fill the air. She threw her head back and laughed. It was all too easy; there were at least three admirals in that building burning to death. 

With the antimatter core collected, that left the cortex manipulator and the Skaris root. She punched in the coordinates to Creedencia, the Clearwater district. There was a black market being run within one of the nightclubs there. Missy pulled a spray bottle out of her bag, and sprayed it over herself. Within moments her outfit changed to something suitable for the clubs. 

It took a little hypnotism but, she got in quickly. Patrons stared at her; she guessed humans had something going with the little black dress. She supposed the stilettos must have helped as well. Women’s fashion was something she was still getting used to. As a man, fashion hadn’t been so complicated to navigate. She marched through the dance floor, resisting the urge to kill those who grabbed her arse. She had a mission; she couldn’t get distracted even if it would be fun. Hm maybe later, she was good with faces this time around.

She marched over to the stairs, going up to the upper floor. She was stopped by the guards, and she scowled at them. Who did these aliens think they were?  
“Have you quite forgotten yourself, Lesreth?” Missy asked.  
“Of course not Master...or I suppose that’s Mistress now. Let her through boys,” said Lesreth.

Missy sat across from the scaled alien. He reminded her of Earth’s praying mantis. Of course it was possible his race had evolved from the mantis. He lounged back in his chair, entirely too cocky for Missy’s liking. Oh well, it worked in her favour.   
“So Mistress, what brings you here this time?” asked Lesreth.  
“Well I hear tell that you have a cortex manipulator,” said Missy, coquettishly.  
“Whatever gave you that impression?” Lesreth demanded.  
“The fact that you just asked for evidence,” teased Missy.

As Lesreth stuttered in shock, Missy surreptitiously opened her bag and took out a handgun. She pointed it at him under the table. He was blinking quickly and tossing his head back and forth. It was his specie’s way of signalling frustration and confusion. The Mistress had to admit she had no idea what a creature like Lesreth was doing in criminal affairs. His emotional reactions were so over the top that he gave himself away every time.  
“Now I want that cortex manipulator, and you’re going to give it to me,” Missy ordered.  
“What will you give me in return?” asked Lesreth.  
“Your life dear, there’s a gun pointed at you. You let your guards know and you die. You bring me anything other than the manipulator, you die. Am I understood?” Missy murmured. 

Lesreth nodded.  
“Bring the cortex manipulator for the good Mistress’ inspection,” ordered Lesreth.  
“Good boy,” said Missy.  
Missy leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. It was all going according to plan. She had Clara to worry about, but perhaps she could indulge herself before heading to Skaro. She was more likely to feel brave if she could allow her psychopathy to come to the fore. She’d been good for Clara, but even she had been getting tired of pretending to be a good girl. That wasn’t her at all; although at the same time it had been nice to be around Clara, and have the Doctor on her side again. She’d needed her friend back and now she had him. Her mind fell into place with the Doctor and Clara around, that was nice but she needed to be herself as well. Maybe if she behaved semi decently around them, she’d be able to keep it that way. But then again, they knew what she was like and she did hate being anything but what she was. It was a simple answer for the Mistress really. She was bad, and that was that.

Missy leaned forward as the waiter came back with the cortex manipulator, and put it on the table. Missy inspected the device and was thankful that it looked to be in good shape and fully operational. She swiped it off the table and put it in her bag.   
“Pleasure doing business with you, Lesreth.”  
“And you Mistress.”

Missy smirked as she stood, shooting Lesreth first, then his two guards. The waiter was next and Missy relished the blood splatter as it hit her. Her smirk turned into a Cheshire cat grin as she heard the screams of the patrons below. She swaggered over to the banister and began firing, killing a patron with each shot. As she fired her last bullet, the vortex manipulator beeped. The cool down time was over. She grabbed out the spray again, her usual outfit replacing the dress and the blood was cleaned away. She put in the coordinates to Skaro on her vortex manipulator, before pulling a plasma grenade out of her bag. Bigger on the inside dimensions for a bag is genius really. She could put a bazooka in there if she wanted.

When Missy heard heavy footsteps on the dance floor, she pulled the grenade pin and threw it. She then hit the activation button on her manipulator before the grenade went off. She crashed heavily into the desert plains of Skaro. She laughed manically, boy that felt good. It had been too long since she’d indulged in violence for fun. The Mistress picked herself up, and brushed herself down. She looked over at the Dalek compound. There was no way she could use the sewers again, the Dalek remains would be too aggressive after their revolt. They’d try to kill her. Missy cringed, death by necrotising Daleks how disgusting! 

She supposed that the Daleks would be in ruins after the sewer revolt. There shouldn’t be many Daleks after that, especially after her last escape. Even then Missy couldn’t help but feel scared of going in. She’d feared the Daleks since the Time War, and no one could blame her. If they did, they’d end up dead for their idiocy. Anyone who wasn’t at the least cautious around daleks was an idiot in Missy’s books. She was all too aware of the horrors they were capable of. She had to take deep breaths to calm her anxiety.

Grabbing her Diephone, she set it to disintegrate, humming tunelessly to herself. She set off; there was no point in standing on ceremony. She entered the compound and began singing to herself. It was Feeling Good by Michael Bublé. It was Clara’s favourite song, and Missy found that she was fond of it. Entertainment was the one thing she acknowledged that humans got right, even if it was only to herself.

Birds flying high  
You know how I feel  
Sun in the sky  
You know how I feel  
Reeds driftin' on by  
You know how I feel

As Missy entered the main chamber of the Dalek compound, she found at least ten daleks in the chamber. Whelp, nothing else for it; she sang to get their attention.

It's a new dawn  
It's a new day  
It's a new life  
For me

The Daleks turned and Missy took aim.

And I'm feeling good

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

I'm feeling good

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Missy twirled through the room, dancing as she sang along.

Fish in the sea  
You know how I feel  
River running free  
You know how I feel  
Blossom on the tree  
You know how I feel

Pop! Pop! Pop! Twirl, tap dance, giggle. 

It's a new dawn  
It's a new day  
It's a new life  
For me  
And I'm feeling good

Skip around a corner. Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Dragonfly out in the sun, you know what I mean, don't you know  
Butterflies all havin' fun, you know what I mean

Pop! Sizzle! Bang! Tap dance, twirl, skip, cackle!

Sleep in peace when the day is done, that's what I mean  
And this old world is a new world  
And a bold world  
For me

What the...? Oh fuck! Duck, roll, kneel and fire! Bang! Pop! Zzzzt!

For me  
Stars when you shine  
You know how I feel  
Scent of the pine  
You know how I feel  
Oh freedom is mine

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

And I know how I feel  
It's a new dawn  
It's a new day  
It's a new life  
It's a new dawn  
It's a new day  
It's a new life  
It's a new dawn  
It's a new day  
It's a new life  
It's a new life  
For me

Missy skipped around a corner, seeing two daleks guarding the entrance. 

Pop! 

Bang!

Ooooooooh yeah.

Missy quickly stepped up to the panel and hacked in. Just as she broke through, the vortex manipulator beeped. She took a case of the Skaris root, stuffing it into her bag. She locked onto the Doctor’s TARDIS on her Diephone; then copied the coordinates to her manipulator, leaving just as she heard: ‘EXTERMINATE!’

She crashed onto the console floor and quickly picked herself up; walking toward the library. 

And I'm feeling good  
I'm feeling good  
I'm feeling so good  
I feel so good

“SCAMP NO!” screamed the Doctor.  
Missy blew some loose strands out of her face and chuckled. Well for fuck’s sake, it was her favourite street urchin. This was going to be fun.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
> 
> A/N: If you liked this, or have some constructive criticism let me know in a comment.~TW

Chapter 9:

Missy stopped by the Sickbay, dropping off her items and picking up a Compressive Medicine Administrator. Sliding the CMA into her pocket she headed toward the source of the noise. She followed it down to the kitchen.  
“Why the hell should I listen to you, ya ol’ perv?” yelled Scamp.  
“Perv? Excuse you, young lady I’m no such thing!” squawked the Doctor.

Missy laughed, and had to prop herself against the doorway. The Doctor and Scamp’s arguing was hysterical.   
“What are you laughing at Trollop?” growled Scamp.  
“Are you fucking serious? What the hell did I tell you last time Urchin?” Missy yelled.

Oh this is fan-bloody-tastic; this echo knew how to push Missy’s buttons. She already wanted to kill her. She took a breath, and reminded herself this was Clara underneath the brat like behaviour. Missy noticed the Doctor’s hair was ruffled; he must have dived out of the way of something. The kitchen was a bombsite after his scuffle with Scamp. Clara looked just as messy, and Missy had to giggle. Scamp scowled, but the Doctor chuckled. There was her Thete.   
“Now Scamp, we can do this the easy way or we can rough you up a little. Your choice, dear,” said Missy, taking out the CMA.

Scamp jumped toward Missy to tackle her. Missy tossed the CMA to the Doctor, whilst side stepping Scamp. Scamp landed heavily on the floor, the Mistress quickly tackling the small girl and using her arms and legs to restrain her. The street urchin put up a valiant effort, but was no match for the Time Lady’s superior strength. Missy rolled onto her back, so the Doctor could to administer the sedative. Putting the tool to Scamp’s neck, the Doctor pressed the button and the sedative was administered with a hiss. 

Scamp’s eyes drooped before she finally fell asleep. Missy removed her arms and legs from their brace, and left them in a starfish position. The Doctor sat down by the two women and both Time Lords sighed, relieved at having dealt with Scamp.   
“Bloody hell,” murmured the Doctor.  
“At least she didn’t have a sword this time,” Missy grumbled.  
“Nope, just a lighter and a butcher’s knife to start with; then she lost those and began throwing furniture at me,” said the Doctor.  
“Shit, I really do hate Scamp,” muttered Missy.  
“You and me both,” the Doctor grumbled.

Missy lifted her head and stared wide eyed at the Doctor. It was a strange feeling, to have the Doctor agree with her on anything; especially on the topic of hate.  
“You feelin’ okay there Old Man?” teased Missy.  
“Shut up,” the Doctor huffed.  
“I’d challenge that but unfortunately I have a rather tired puppy taking a snooze on my chest,” said Missy. 

The Doctor laughed and lifted Clara off Missy into a bridal style hold. Missy picked herself up from the floor, and the two Time Lords took their puppy to the sick bay. They placed Clara on the bed, restraining her in case she woke up as an echo instead of their Clara.  
“I need your screwdriver to start putting the components of the cortex manipulator together,” said Missy tiredly.

The Doctor handed over his screwdriver, before retrieving a mortar and pestle to blend the organic materials together, adding water every now and then. Missy poured the grounded Verasca mineral into the cortex manipulator, and then attached the lithium wires to the cortex manipulator. She then positioned the cortex manipulator and the antimatter core on either side of Clara’s head before attaching the other end of the wires to the antimatter core. The core made a buzzing noise as it came to life ready to be used. Moments later the Doctor had the paste ready.  
“That looks disgusting,” said Missy.  
“It’s supposed to be medicinal. When have you ever known medicine to look or taste good?” the Doctor replied.

Missy nodded, reaching over to turn on the machine. The Doctor quickly grabbed her wrist and she glared at him.  
“Wait. Clara deserves to know what’s going on and a choice in what will happen to her,” said the Doctor.   
“What if she isn’t able to make that decision?” snapped Missy.  
“We have to at least wait and see,” said the Doctor “This could potentially kill her, you know that.”

Missy sighed and nodded. She sat down in one of the sickbay’s chairs, the Doctor joining her in the chair next to hers. The Mistress yawned and rested her head on the Doctor’s shoulder.  
“Please don’t Missy,” said the Doctor.  
“Deal with it,” yawned the Mistress.  
“I don’t like affection,” the Doctor grumbled.  
“Not affection, you’re just my pillow,” Missy murmured. 

Missy fell asleep on the Doctor’s shoulder. It had been a long time since she’d slept, probably too long. Now that she’d had to travel and fight, she was due a nap or three. 

**SaveMe**

Missy woke up to the Doctor shaking her shoulder. She blinked a few times, shaking her head as she straightened. She looked around and saw Clara staring at her and the Doctor. From what Missy could tell her puppy was present.  
“Clara, is that you?” asked the Doctor.   
“Yeah, it’s me I’m all here,” Clara replied.

Missy sighed and stood up. She walked over to Clara and put her hand on the Impossible Girl’s arm. Clara tried to rip her arm out of Missy’s grasp. The Time Lady rolled her eyes.  
“Puppy, I’m not here to hurt you right now,” sighed Missy.  
“Right now,” Clara growled.  
“Clara, she’s trying to help. In fact she went and gathered everything we need to help you,” said the Doctor.  
“Why the hell would you do that?” Clara spat.

Missy contemplated her answer for a moment. She understood the human’s aggression but should she really tell Clara the truth. The Puppy would never accept her or her feelings; best to lie.  
“Two of us being bonkers, is a little bit much don’t you think?” said Missy.  
“Now really Missy, there must be more to it than that,” protested the Doctor.  
“Yeah, rabid puppies have to be put down. You’d be a mess if I had to do that,” Missy replied.

The Doctor gawked at the Mistress. He couldn’t believe it, she had the perfect opportunity. What was wrong with the woman? He considered himself something of an expert at handling relationships with strong independent women. It didn’t matter if it was romantic or not, many of his female friends slotted into the category of strong and independent. Clara fit into the category, and so did Missy. What he knew about this type of woman was that you had to be truthful about your feelings at all times. When you lied they found out about it, and it was rare they let it go. Missy might get lucky here, but it wouldn’t be for long. Come to think of it, maybe it was because Clara and Missy were so independent that they had issues admitting love. 

“Now, Poppet we think we’ve found out how to put your head back together. It’ll involve a paste you’ll need to ingest and a cortex manipulator. Both of these will open your psyche wider so I can take a look. In addition the paste should begin to fix neural pathways in your hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. I will be trying to aid the paste’s progress,” Missy explained.   
“You are not routing around in my head. The Doctor can do it,” snapped Clara.  
“Uh too late, and like hell he is,” said Missy.  
“Why can’t he do it? I trust him; I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you.”  
“Because Missy has always been better at telepathy, and I would cause your brain to turn to mush. This could kill you Clara, it’s up to you to decide what you want to do,” the Doctor explained.

Clara closed her eyes for a moment. She had to weigh her options. On one hand this procedure could kill her. On the other hand, she didn’t think she could live like this. All of this was torture, and she didn’t know if she could stand it. As if to confirm her thoughts, the Clara with the cleaver reappeared. She was stalking toward her, and it terrified her. It was then that she remembered her dream. Oswin had told Clara to trust her. It was then that Clara understood, but how could she ever trust Missy. Clara quickly decided she didn’t but she had to take her best option.  
“Do it,” said Clara.  
“Alright,” Missy replied.  
“Clara this coul...” the Doctor began.  
“Doctor, shush! She’s made up her mind,” scolded the Mistress.

The Doctor closed his mouth and grabbed the paste. He fed it to Clara, watching her wince and shudder. He put the mortar down and backed away. He wanted to hold Clara’s hand but any physical contact from him might interfere with Missy’s work. He preferred touch telepathy, and sometimes that led to him unconsciously reaching for the mind of that person. 

Missy turned on the cortex manipulator, wincing when she heard Clara cry out. She knew the manipulator would be painful; it was illegal for a reason. Taking a nervous breath, Missy touched her finger tips to Clara’s temples.  
“Deep breaths Clara,” Missy instructed.

She entered Clara’s mind; it was getting easier. The more Missy did this, the more familiar it felt. Familiarity meant ease for her. She watched as Clara’s pathways lit up gold and began to repair, this was good. It was all working according to plan. At the end of this, they’d go back to their lives no harm done. It was five minutes in when everything stopped. Missy watched confused as the gold light dulled and turned into an angry red light. The pathways began breaking again; Missy rushed to stop it. She tried to pull the strands back together and nothing was working. Bright purple flashes went off in Clara’s mind. The Mistress knew they meant pain and pulled out of Clara’s mind. She turned off the cortex manipulator and moved the contraption out of the way, as Clara began to seize. Missy moved to try and hold her down, when the Doctor pushed her aside.  
“She is still restrained, I’m going to try and help her.”

Missy watched in horror as vomit gurgled out of Clara’s mouth. In between the rounds of vomiting Clara screamed. The screams were the worst; they pierced Missy’s blackened soul. The Doctor rushed around her, injecting her with futuristic medicines. He eventually managed to stop the seizing. He checked her pulse and then cleaned the vomit out of her mouth, and off her face. He checked her breathing, glad when he found it to be normal.  
“Enter her mind and have a look at the damage please Mistress,” ordered the Doctor.

Missy walked back over to bed. With shaking hands she touched Clara’s temple and re-entered her mind. Missy looked at the destruction and was horrified. This was her fault, all her fault. She was the one who insisted that Clara go through with this. Clara’s mind was in an even worse state. Pulling out of Clara’s mind, Missy looked at the Doctor and then ran from the room.

The Doctor stared after his friend. She would need time to process all of this, and he needed to finish caring for Clara.

**SaveMe**  
The Mistress found her old room and slammed the door behind her. She screamed; in anger, in frustration, in guilt and...in heartbreak. She’d been so sure that she’d been right, and all it did was hurt the one person she truly loved in this universe. She screamed again and tears fell down her cheeks. She grabbed anything in her proximity and threw it. There was a lot of smashing and crashing. She didn’t care about any of this stuff. It wasn’t important. She spun to face the mirror and sobbed loudly. The cameo broach featured an etching of her daughter’s face.

Missy had failed her little one too. She didn’t deserve to be loved. She’d done atrocious things; of course she didn’t deserve love. Even if she had someone who loved her, Missy would still continue to destroy and dominate everything in her path. She struggled to take the broach off her collar and threw it hard, toward the door with a shriek. She sobbed even harder into her hands, not realising she hadn’t heard the broach hit anything.

“I don’t think you’d want this to break Koschei.”  
Missy looked up; the Doctor was in her room, his hand wrapped around her broach. He put it on the desk next to him and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and let her cry. Missy knew it had to be uncomfortable for him, this version hated affection. She didn’t care though, she needed this. She let it all go, continuing to sob and shriek loudly. The Doctor rubbed her back, trying to calm her. Realising it wasn’t working he tried a different approach.  
“Kos, you need to calm down or you’ll hyperventilate. You know the respiratory bypass won’t help you here,” the Doctor murmured.

Missy nodded and took deep breaths. She let him direct her over to the bed; she sat on it when he directed her to. The Doctor went over to her boudoir and picked up a hair tie, stretching it over his left wrist. He went back to the bed and sat at the end toward the pillows cross legged. He tugged Missy’s arm and she shuffled to middle of the bed, knees bent up. She leaned forward and circled her arms around her legs. The Doctor began taking out the bobby pins holding her hair in place. Missy could feel the pressure on her scalp easing. It was a relief.  
“Is the TARDIS watching over her?” Missy murmured.  
“Yeah, she’s stable now. It might take her a few days to wake up,” said the Doctor.

Missy nodded, and felt the last pin taken out of her hair. She knew her hair would be all curls. The Doctor reached over to the bedside table and picked up a brush. He gently pulled the brush through Missy’s hair, the curls straightening out into waves. The Doctor placed the brush back, and ran his fingers through Missy’s hair, occasionally massaging her scalp. Missy hummed, she’d never had anyone play with her hair before in this form. It was soothing.  
“It’s my fault Thete. We almost lost her and it would have been my fault,” whispered Missy.  
“Hey now, that should have worked Koschei. I went over it a thousand times, and couldn’t find fault with it. Everything matched to the correct diagnosis and treatment,” the Doctor soothed “It wasn’t you Kosch.”  
“We almost lost her, and it’s not good enough. I’ve spent so long destroying things that I’m beginning to destroy everything I touch. And I don’t think I want to stop what I do.”  
“You know my stance on what you do Mistress, but I also know that you couldn’t harm your loved ones on purpose. You hate with everything you have, and love the same way.”

The Doctor began to braid a lose plait into Missy’s hair. Missy closed her eyes, trying to calm herself before she had a panic attack. The Doctor had spoken the truth, she did love fiercely. But it had been a long time since she’d loved like this. Sure she loved the Doctor, but that was different. They were lifelong friends, and their love was almost like the love for a sibling. They tried to top the other’s stunts, and insulted each other as a way of affection. No, her love for Clara was far more intense, and she’d already lost her love once. She’d lost parts of her hearts when Reinera and Dyara were killed by the Time Lord council. She wouldn’t lose Clara to this wound, the Mistress refused.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
> 
> A/N: If you liked this, or have some constructive criticism let me know in a comment.~TW

Chapter 10:

Clara woke up hazily, feeling a weight on her hand. She looked over to find Missy holding her hand, and sleeping in her chair, slumped onto the bed. Clara was confused. Why was Missy holding a vigil over her? Why did she decide to dress down? Missy had taken off her jacket, her sleeves were rolled up. The broach was still clasped to her throat, but her hair was loosely braided. The Time Lady looked softer, kinder and peaceful. Clara couldn’t help but think she looked beautiful like this. This softer look made Clara feel like the Mistress’ armour had been taken off. She felt like the Mistress had disappeared, to reveal a woman Clara didn’t have a name for.

She watched as Missy stirred and muttered in her sleep. Clara couldn’t understand what Missy was saying, it must be Gallifreyan; but Clara knew it was beautiful. She’d always imagined that the language of the Time Lords would be harsh. She guessed it was because she thought there had to be a reason why the Doctor and Missy had had so much trouble with their species. Hearing the language now, made Clara see another side to the story. The words flowed, consistent and sweet. Missy’s accent changed from her usual low Scottish burr, to a higher sweeter tone. It was almost like singing. 

She could now see that perhaps underneath all the pain that both Time Lords had for Gallifrey; there was love. It was a love for a culture that went back for a number of years beyond Clara’s ability to count. The planet had been their home, where they became who they are now. It must be simple and complicated; both full of love and full of hate. It was contradictory just like time; the one commodity that the Gallifreyans worshipped. Time was theirs to play with and to safe guard. From what Clara knew of the Doctor’s story, the Time Lords forgot about the playing part. The Doctor and the Master did not, and so became renegades for that reason and many more. 

Clara shook her head realising that she’d gotten lost in thought. She decided to wake Missy up; the Time Lady wouldn’t take kindly to being watched while she slept. Clara squeezed Missy’s hand hoping it might jostle the Mistress out of her sleep.   
“Clara,” Missy murmured “Beautiful eyes.”

Clara raised an eyebrow. Since when did Missy pay her compliments? Then again, she’d never thought of Missy as beautiful until now...at least not consciously. She was also beginning to trust the eccentric woman. Clara knew she’d be a fool to ever trust Missy fully, but there was a chance for her to give the Mistress some leeway. She squeezed Missy’s hand again.  
“Missy, wake up. Come on, open those eyes,” murmured Clara.

The Time Lady stirred and blinked her eyes open. Clara squeezed her hand and smiled. Missy’s hearts skipped a beat as she stared into Clara’s dark eyes. She could get used to waking up to the sight of Clara. It was then that Missy realised how far gone she was. She was in so much trouble.  
“Morning, Puppy,” Missy replied, huskily.  
“So how did everything go?” Clara asked.

Clara saw the flash of sadness go through Missy’s eyes. She knew then, it hadn’t worked. She was going to go mad, and that was that.  
“That bad, huh?” said Clara.  
“I’m sorry my dear. We tried, and made it worse. We’ll find something else,” whispered Missy.

Missy’s quietness made Clara aware of the seriousness of the situation. The Mistress was always vibrant and didn’t like to be quiet around others very often.   
“So, how bad are we talking here?”  
“Well, it’s likely you’ll experience more hallucinations, dreams and more black outs. Likely, more vivid than before, but don’t worry love. The Doctor and I are going to help, and I understand better than most what you’re going through.”

Clara looked up at the ceiling and blinked away her tears.  
“Where’s the Doctor?” she asked.  
“In the console room fiddling with things I expect. We took turns staying with you the last few days. Do you want to go and see him?”

Clara nodded, and Missy took off the restraints. Missy felt her heart sink at seeing Clara look so defeated. Missy knew what it was like to feel your psyche degrading. She’d completely lost her mind, but it would not happen to Clara. Clara sat up slowly before swinging her legs over the edge. She jumped down, stumbling when she landed. Missy caught Clara around the waist; the poor human had suffered damage to her psyche, and had been unconscious for a few days. She should have thought of this in advance. Stupid Mistress!  
“Would you like me to carry you, or do you just want me to support you?” asked Missy.  
“I’m fine,” snapped Clara.  
“No you’re not! Now you can start moving around but you’re going to need some help for the next few days,” Missy snapped back.   
“Support me then,” Clara sighed.

Missy nodded and slung Clara’s arm around her shoulder, before putting an arm around her waist. She set a slow pace for the human, as they hobbled along the TARDIS corridors. It made Missy miss her own TARDIS. The Doctor’s old girl had been a home for Missy as well but there was something about having your own space. Maybe she’d show Clara, Gorgeous someday. They turned a corner when Missy noticed that Clara’s eyes had glazed over. 

Clara stared ahead and watched as Oswin looked at her. The echo pointed toward Missy and then smiled and clapped her hands.  
“That’s a step in the right direction!” exclaimed Oswin.  
Clara began to smile, but it soon turned into an expression of horror as the echo with the cleaver attacked Oswin. Oswin screamed as the echo began to brutalise her.   
“Leave her alone!” Clara screamed.

Missy jerked when Clara screamed beside her. Her human’s face froze into an expression of horror, and Missy knew Clara wasn’t with her. She gently let Clara stand on her own, to see what would happen.   
“Leave her alone!”  
“Why are you doing this?”  
“Stop it!”  
“No!”

Clara began to fall forward as she screamed.  
“Clara!” shouted Missy.  
Missy hurried forward and caught Clara. Clara came back to her senses as soon as Missy pulled her upright. The human was breathing heavily, and was shocked to meet the Time Lady’s worried gaze.   
“Are you ok? Do you want to go back to the sickbay?” asked Missy.  
“No, let’s get to the Doctor,” said Clara.  
“Righty ho then,” said Missy.

Missy picked Clara up, bridal style and headed off to the console room.   
“Missy put me down!” Clara protested.  
“No can do Poppet. You just had an episode, and the only place you belong is in my arms. Apparently that’s the only place I can keep you safe,” said Missy sternly.

Clara was about to tease Missy for what she said but saw something in Missy’s expression that stopped her. A Jane Austen quote came to mind: “Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity, to what we would have others think of us.” Clara suddenly realised that this was Missy to a T. In relation to the quote, Missy was more vain than proud which was saying a lot. Clara now knew that Missy hid behind that psychopath persona in every aspect of her life, to keep herself from being hurt. Clara was uncertain as to why Missy might do that. Perhaps Missy’s vanity was a defence mechanism to protect her pride. Perhaps Missy had become the Mr Darcy, to Clara’s Elizabeth. Both of them were too proud and prejudiced against each other to see what was really happening. Clara shook her head; there was no way any of that could possibly be happening. She couldn’t possibly be falling for Missy, and Missy couldn’t possibly return any sort of affection.  
The two women rounded the corner to find the Doctor reading one of the books on the shelves lining the upper platform. Missy carried Clara up the stairs. Clara, who had finally stopped pondering Missy, began to quiver. The shock of her vision had finally set in. Oswin had been brutalised by the cleaver wielding echo. What was so damn important about this particular echo? Why was it so malicious? Why was it so terrifying?  
Missy sat in the chair opposite the Doctor, settling Clara on her lap. Clara didn’t bother trying to protest, she was comfortable enough. She curled into the Mistress, making sure she could still see the Doctor. The Doctor closed his book, raising an eyebrow at his friends. This was new. His girls were beginning to get on. Now if only he could get the TARDIS to like Clara as well. Then again, the old girl never held a grudge against Missy for what she did. It also seemed as though the TARDIS had been trying to be extra helpful while Clara had been unwell. He was beginning to accept that this body just didn’t understand people.   
“How are you feeling Clara?” asked the Doctor.  
“I’m good,” sighed Clara.  
“Like hell you are Puppy! You just bloody well hallucinated!” cried Missy.  
“What? You couldn’t keep a lid on that!” exclaimed Clara.

The Doctor rubbed a hand over his face, this was more like it. Seeing these two bicker was more like the usual program. However he couldn’t help noticing that neither had made any effort to move from their position, other than to look into each other’s eyes; interesting.  
“Alright, alright!” shouted the Doctor “Missy was right to tell me. This isn’t something you can hide Clara, nor can we run away from it.”  
“But Doctor I...” Clara murmured.  
“No Clara, for once let us take care of you. I know you’re scared, Missy and I are too but you can’t pretend this doesn’t exist,” the Doctor said sternly.  
“I’m not...” protested Missy.  
“Shut up! Yes you are Koschei, you’re more scared than I am damn it!” the Doctor exclaimed.

The two women stared at the Doctor, gobsmacked. Sure, he’d put his foot down before but not like this. He’d always let them at least try to argue, or convince him otherwise. He’d dropped a bomb in their laps this time. The Doctor raised an attack brow at them. He loved his friends, he really did but they could be such idiots! Idiots in love! Oh dear, where was he going with this? He was...what did the humans call it? Oh yeah, shipping...he was shipping them. Oh well, time to put on his captain’s hat. Full canvas! Time to get this ship sailing! He was tired of Koschei’s moping, and Clara’s denial. If it was obvious to him, then it was ridiculous that they were in denial.   
“Alright, you two are going down to the kitchen. Missy will make you something to eat Clara, while I go and do some research about what you’re going through,” instructed the Doctor.

The Doctor got up and went down the stairs. As he reached the stairs leading to the hallways, he heard Clara shout.  
“What if she poisons me?”  
“Better her, than me!” shouted the Doctor “I’ll definitely poison you!”  
He rounded the corner, and grinned at the sound of his two favourite people laughing.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See chapter 1. I also do not own Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill or Pride and Prejudice.
> 
> A/N: If you liked this, or have some constructive criticism let me know in a comment.~TW

Chapter 11:

Clara sat at the table, about to read Pride and Prejudice for the ninth time in Missy’s presence. It was cementing the idea of making Austen a fossil in Missy’s mind.  
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that, a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife,” quoted Missy.  
“You’re a fan of Jane Austen?” asked Clara.  
“Not exactly,” Missy deadpanned.

Clara raised an eyebrow, and opened the book she could recite by heart. Missy rolled her eyes at the human. Why she felt the way she did for the human, was beyond her. Missy took out a knife and tested the edge. It was blunt. Did the Old Man really get this lax? She found the knife sharpener and worked on the knife’s edge. She began to whistle Twisted Nerve as she worked. Clara turned around to see what Missy was doing, and couldn’t help feeling nervous. Sharpening a knife, while whistling that tune was frightening, more so when a psychopath was doing it.  
“Tarentino fan then?” asked Clara.  
“I don’t mind his films, they’re a little hit and miss,” replied Missy.   
“Kill Bill though?”  
“Absolutely, can’t go past Pulp Fiction though.”

Clara raised her eyebrows and smiled.  
"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon you," Clara quoted.

Missy stared at Clara, squeaked and then giggled manically.  
“And you know what they call a... a... a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?” quoted Missy.  
“They don't call it a Quarter Pounder with cheese?” Clara replied.  
“No man, they got the metric system. They wouldn't know what the fuck a Quarter Pounder is,” said Missy.  
“Then what do they call it?”   
“They call it a Royale with cheese.”

Both women stared at each other and giggled. This was unbelievable, if anyone had told Clara two weeks ago that she’d be trading pop culture references with the Mistress; she’d have checked them into a psychiatric ward. The two began to talk, as Missy bustled about the kitchen. They talked about preferred cuisines, cultures, adventures, more pop culture and their lives. Missy made sure to serve Clara a large portion of the stir fry she’d made. She couldn’t have her puppy wasting away. Pouring healthy amounts of wine into two glasses, the women migrated to the library. They sat on the couch in front of the fire, and talked some more. Neither woman had had any clue how alike they were, underneath all of their differences. They both had a love for popular culture, fine dining, spectacular views and adrenaline rushes. 

They were also beginning to find things that they loved about the other. Missy loved the way that Clara’s nose would twitch just before she smiled. She loved watching Clara drum her fingers against the stem of the wine glass. She also reaffirmed her belief that with eyes like that, she’d never be able to refuse Clara anything. They were pools of dark beauty, and she could just fall into them. Clara found the way Missy scrunched up her face when she laughed, adorable. Clara’s heart melted when Missy admitted she liked children’s shows. She thought it was nice that the Mistress had a childish side. She also had to admit she might have a little obsession with Missy’s cheekbones. 

Maybe it was the wine, or perhaps it was the atmosphere but Clara left her glass on the table and reached for Missy’s jaw. She turned the Mistress toward her, moving her hand to Missy’s cheek. Clara moved in closer and kissed Missy. Missy responded hesitantly, this had happened before and it almost turned out badly. Clara straddled Missy’s lap, arms around her neck. As the languid kiss began to deepen, Missy came to her senses. She moved her head back, but made sure to keep her hold on Clara’s hips. Keeping Clara in place was important.  
“Did I do the wrong thing? I’m sorry,” murmured Clara.

Missy could see the blush colouring Clara’s cheeks and felt guilty. However she knew this was the right thing to do.  
“You didn’t do anything wrong Poppet, but this isn’t the first time this has happened. The last time this happened, it was your Phratos echo. She thought I was Saira and I almost realised too late that it wasn’t you,” explained Missy “If we’re going to do this, I want it to be right.”  
“You stopped me...I mean my echo?” asked Clara.  
“Of course, I’m not that sort of monster,” muttered Missy.

The Time Lady looked away from her human, feeling hurt that Clara assumed she’d do something like that. Clara put her hand under Missy’s jaw, forcing the Gallifreyan woman to look into the human’s eyes.  
“It’s just a surprise that you wouldn’t have just taken what you wanted,” said Clara.

Clara saw her mistake immediately when the Mistress’ eyes reflected horror back at her. Oh she’d definitely done the wrong thing here.  
“On Gallifrey intimacy is something to be treasured. Most wouldn’t show affection in the streets for fear of causing offence. It was up to the individual of course to decide what they kept to themselves and what they were comfortable doing with everyone,” said Missy.  
“So for the Doctor it’s hugging and beyond. For you it’s kissing and...”  
“Sex; yes my treasured intimacies are kissing and sex.”  
“But you were willing to kiss the Doctor and me for laughs.”  
“Yes, you and the Doctor; I’ve never kissed anyone else in this body.” 

It suddenly hit Clara, that Missy was very human and yet not in her intimacy choices. It was the reason why she’d snapped when Clara had mentioned the Doctor and implied sex in the same breath. While Missy had kissed for laughs, it was understandable that she’d done it with the people she was the most comfortable with. Clara suddenly realised how much she had just hurt Missy. She launched forward, capturing Missy in a hug.  
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry; oh god, I’m so sorry,” Clara whispered “I should never have said that. I’m so so sorry.”

Missy slowly returned the hug, tightening her arms around Clara and rubbing her back. She had to admit this was really nice, just to hold Clara like this.  
“You didn’t know,” muttered Missy “Gallifreyans aren’t like humans. We don’t have specific rituals for these things. It’s much more personal, we’ll share it with the people closest to us, and depending on the relationship, the extent of intimacy we’ll allow.”  
“So you’re saying that you’d...with me?”  
“Yes, but not now. When you’re better and if you still want this, then yes. But you have to understand that once you do, this is a relationship. I don’t do flings.”  
“I understand, but what if I don’t get better?”

Missy froze, she hadn’t even thought of that as an option. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t because it wasn’t. She couldn’t allow Clara to think that way either.  
“You will.”  
“But what if...”  
“No, you’ll get better it’s the only option.”  
“Missy, be realistic here.”  
“No!”

Missy buried her face into Clara’s chest, beginning to cry for the first time in this situation. She couldn’t let this happen.  
“You’re not going anywhere Clara,” sobbed Missy.  
“I don’t want to, but we have to face the reality,” murmured Clara.  
“You don’t understand! You’re not going anywhere because I won’t let you,” cried Missy.  
“Missy I...”  
“Please don’t, we need to be positive. Anything else just won’t do.”

Clara looked down at Missy, moving to kiss the Mistress’ temple. Missy shivered at the touch, the psychic energy that had come off that kiss had felt warm and a little ticklish. Missy shifted Clara off her lap, and moved Clara onto her chest as she shuffled into a corner of the lounge. The human’s body heat was a comfort to the Mistress. Other Gallifreyans would say the heat was uncomfortable but Missy liked the warmth. She was beginning to see why the Doctor kept a human around so often. Now that they were comfortable, it was down to business.

“Clara, have you noticed anything repetitive about any of this? Any particular thing that keeps cropping up?” asked Missy.  
“Hmm, I don’t know, I don’t think so; I...wait there is one thing,” said Clara.  
“What’s that?”  
“Well there’s this one echo that keeps showing up. She turns up in my dreams and my...hallucinations. She’s really terrifying, and always has a cleaver. I don’t know why she keeps showing up,” said Clara.  
“Right, ok. And these dreams and hallucinations are they only about your echoes?” Missy asked.  
“No, sometimes they’re about what a particular echo saw. You were cute in your original form by the way. Other times it’s a dream featuring all the echoes, and the nicer ones try to save me from the bad ones,” Clara explained.  
“Well that’s interesting. You should get some sleep, close your eyes here Poppet. I’ll carry you to bed later,” instructed Missy.

Clara nodded sleepily and snuggled into Missy’s chest. The Mistress ran a hand soothingly through Clara’s hair until the puppy fell asleep. Missy decided that she would write these details down on the Doctor’s chalkboards later. It was time to corroborate the details, put a theory together and find a potential solution. It was all science, Missy was sure of it. For now though, she would sit here; enjoying the sound of Clara’s heartbeat, and the warmth the puppy radiated.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
> 
> A/N: Here is a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it. It's taken me a little longer than usual to update this story on Fanfiction.Net. This is due to my university assessment. It's getting toward the end of the term so life is getting busy. I just ask that you bare with me. I will not be abandoning this story, I want to see the end too. Anyways, is there anything you liked in particular? Do you have some constructive criticism for me? Leave a comment and let me know. ~TW

Chapter 12:

It had been a few hours since Clara had fallen asleep, and Missy knew she should get to the chalkboards and write up her ideas. On the other hand, she could hold Clara and watch her sleep for the rest of eternity, and be perfectly happy. She didn’t want to leave Clara behind, so it was time for plan B. She gently moved her human so that she could stand, before picking Clara up bridal style. Clara was a deep sleeper; Missy had to give her that. She would have woken up, if someone moved her like this.

Missy moved through the corridors to the console room. She went to the upper landing and deposited Clara on an armchair. She cleared away the books, before dragging a chalk board closer to the sleeping human. Missy smiled gently as she began to write up her notes. She wrote down the symptoms and the details she’d learned along the way. She began to write down her ideas, trying to connect the symptoms together. If she could find the link, then perhaps she could find the solution.   
Missy became engrossed in her work, not stopping for an hour. She stepped away and rubbed at her forehead, placing her other hand on her hip. She leaned against the railing and huffed. Missy could no longer make sense of her own thoughts. She’d just written them all down, and now having stepped away it looked like nonsense.   
“I’m as mad as a hatter,” Missy murmured.   
“Well, we already knew that,” said the Doctor.

Missy jumped in fright. When had Thete sneaked into the room? The Doctor chuckled at his friend; he couldn’t help feeling a little smug. This situation was usually the other way around.   
“Yeah, yeah can it you smug little so and so,” said Missy.   
“Since when do you censor yourself?” asked the Doctor.  
“Just felt like it,” said Missy.  
“A running theme there,” said the Doctor. 

Missy gave him an exasperated look, before flicking his nose. The Doctor twitched his nose in response, rolling his eyes. Missy smirked back at him before returning her attention to the blackboard. The Doctor walked closer to the board.  
“So what have you come up with?” asked the Doctor.  
“I wrote down the symptoms and details I learned from Clara,” said Missy “I tried to connect them but now it’s just a...a cluster fuck!”

The Doctor whipped around to face the Mistress. He’d heard her use this sort of language before, but not with that sort of heartbroken frustration. He noticed that her breathing was becoming quick and shallow. She’d have an anxiety attack if he didn’t try to help her head it off. He strode over to her, pushing on her shoulders to straighten her posture. The Doctor took her hands in his.  
“Kosch, breathe. Come on, you’re no help like this,” said the Doctor.

The Mistress began to concentrate on her breathing, forcing it to become deep, and slow. Missy’s eyes flitted about the room until they landed on Clara. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to be calm.  
“Alright, I’ve got it,” Missy whispered.  
“You’re sure?” asked the Doctor.  
“Yeah I’ve got it in hand.”

The Doctor nodded, turning back to the board. Part of the reason was to make sense out Missy’s chaotic notes; the other part was to give Missy some privacy to finish pulling herself together. It was only a few moments after that Clara began to whimper in her sleep. Both Gallifreyans stared at her. It suddenly occurred to Missy that this could help her figure out what was happening to the Puppy. She began to move towards Clara, before the Doctor grabbed her wrist.   
“This might not be the best idea,” said the Doctor.  
“This might be the best chance we have,” hissed Missy “Come on, Thete live on the wild side.”  
“Fine, but I’m coming with you in case you need to be pulled back.”

Missy rolled her eyes, she was the better telepath but he had a point. There was always the potential of becoming lost in dreams. Sometimes the dreams of another person could tempt a telepath to stay. Both Time Lords touched one of Clara’s temples, slipping into her dream. 

Both Time Lords crashed to the ground as they entered Clara’s dream. The area was blurry as Clara’s human psyche did not have any telepathic ability. Just as they were dusting themselves off, they heard howling in the distance. They glanced at each other, as blurred black shadows moved on the horizon. They silently agreed to move off into the trees. The landscape was dark, and the trees creaked; howling and dark chuckling could be heard in the distance. The two Gallifreyans picked up their pace, eager to be away from the trees. The shadows almost seemed to be moving of their own accord. After what seemed like hours they cleared the tree line.

They found a desert in front of them. It was littered with identical skeletons, and gravestones. Although neither Time Lord was a stranger to death, they’d never imagined their Clara’s dreamscape would hold so much of it. A howl went off close by, followed by the dark, ethereal chuckling. The Doctor glanced at the Mistress; she seemed to be deep in thought.  
“We have to move Missy. I don’t know what’s making that sound, but I don’t think we want to find out.”

The Mistress nodded, and they set off at a run. Although their biology and telepathic abilities allowed them superior stamina; the obstacles in their path slowed them down. It also seemed that Clara’s lack of psychic ability weighed them down as well. They had made it a fair way, when Missy looked back and gave a strangled gasp.  
“What?” asked the Doctor.  
“Run Doctor, just run!” Missy screamed.

The Doctor glanced behind them and found an extraordinarily large pack of wolves chasing them. They were all black, just like the wolf in the dream they had entered before. The duo sped up into an all out sprint. No matter how much they tried to speed up their pace, the wolves were seemingly faster. 

They could see two petite females running toward them in their periphery. Each caught up to them, grabbing their hands. The Doctor’s hand was held by a Clara in a red dress with a savaged face. The Mistress was lead by a Clara dressed as a TARDIS engineer. It was only then that the Time Lords were able to pick up their pace properly. The two Claras lead them into a canyon. They ran past a clear creek and shrubs. They found a naturally occurring ramp carved into the rock face. The two echoes lead them into a cave.

The group skidded to a halt and both Gallifreyans were awed by what they saw. The cave was softly lit with candles and fires. There were at least a hundred echoes living in the cave.  
“What do you think Chin Boy?” asked the echo in the red dress.  
“Oswin?”  
“Yup!”

The Doctor shakily reached out to her face. It had been slashed multiple times, leaving her with chunks of flesh missing. Her left eyelid drooped, her nose was off centre. There were slashes on her neck that disappeared into the neckline of her dress. He pulled her into a hug, tears falling down his cheeks.  
“Oh Oswin I’m so sorry.”  
“It’s alright.”

Missy on the other hand searched the echoes for her Clara. There were little girls, teenagers, along with young and elderly women. Some were in pristine condition; others like Oswin were grotesquely damaged. One of the echoes took Missy’s hand and smiled.  
“Your love is this way,” said the echo.

The corners of Missy’s mouth quirked upwards as she recognised the Phratoan echo. This one was kind. She led Missy further into the cave. Another echo grabbed Missy’s other hand, a little girl this time.  
“Are you going to fix us, Miss Mistress?” asked the little girl.  
“I’m trying dear,” said Missy. 

Many of the echoes recognised her. The elderly echoes nodded their heads to her. The young women smiled, and waved. The teenagers blushed, and looked away shyly. The little girls would skip over to her, to touch her skirt; the boldest of the children still holding her hand. They led her to a rock formation in the middle of the cave. The original Clara was perched on it, staring into a fire pit. The two echoes left her, and Missy slowly approached her Clara. She climbed onto a rock next to her human, and put a hand under her chin. Clara looked over at Missy, a light suddenly flickering in her eyes. Missy leaned in, kissing Clara chastely. 

As Missy drew away, the cave began to darken and the echoes retreated toward the back of the cave. Missy and Clara stood and turned to the mouth of the cave. Candles and fires were dying out as Oswin dragged the Doctor toward them. Outside the cave was turning pitch black, as an echo and two black wolves formed inside the cave. The echo held a cleaver, shadows falling over her eyes. It felt sinister.  
“Oh god, not again,” whispered Clara.  
“What?” said Missy.

The echo with the cleaver began to run toward the other echoes. She raised her knife in preparation to attack. Missy could see that she was about to attack the little girl that had held her hand. The Mistress jumped over the rocks, running toward the front. Just as the echo stopped in front of the girl and began to swing, Missy pushed her way to the front and put herself in the cleaver’s path. The echo halted the cleaver’s motion a hair’s breadth from Missy’s jugular. She chuckled at Missy. It was the dark, ethereal laughter from earlier. A shiver ran down Missy’s spine, this was familiar.

The Doctor stared in awe of his friend. He hadn’t seen the Mistress protective like this in millennia. His mouth dropped as he heard the echo hiss Missy’s true name. He’d never thought he’d hear that name, and certainly never expected her to tell him. Something was different about this echo. The echo let the cleaver fall to her side, and brought the other hand up to stroke the Mistress’ face. The gesture was both eerie and menacing. His hearts jolted in his chest, and gasped as horror bled into the Mistress’ expression. Whatever she was seeing was likely to be macabre. Missy gasped as the echo let Missy’s mind leave her grip.   
“Get out, run far away because I’m going to hunt you down,” growled the Mistress.

The echo flinched, and disintegrated into smoke, along with the wolves. The blackness outside moved away and the echoes behind her relaxed. The Doctor and Clara ran over to Missy.  
“What was that thing?” asked the Doctor.  
“An echo obviously,” said Clara.  
“It’s more than that, it’s a ghoul,” said Missy.

The Doctor and Clara glanced at each other before dragging Missy to sit on a rock.  
“What do you mean a ghoul?” asked the Doctor.  
“The echo gave me back my memories from when I died as Harold Saxon. I remember the place I ended up in after I died on the Valiant,” said Missy “It wasn’t heaven, but it wasn’t hell either. It was like the human concept of purgatory. While I was there, that echo was there protecting me. I called it a ghoul because it had such a hulking presence, and its language chills you to the bone. I don’t know the proper name for its species.”  
“What’s its language?” asked Clara.  
“The laughter,” whispered Missy.

The trio sat in silence trying to soak in the new information. Clara had lived that echo’s life and she couldn’t remember what it was like to be a ghoul. As for the two Gallifreyans, this was well above their pay grade. This was something that the Time Lords hadn’t even thought of as a concept. Death was the end to them, nothing else was supposed to exist.   
“What did the echo do while it was with you in that place?” asked the Doctor.  
“Well, it mostly just travelled with me without my permission. Occasionally it would protect me from the creatures that lived in that place,” said Missy.  
“So its goal is to protect you,” said Clara.  
“It explains why your memories broke after I fixed your mind.”  
“If I might interject,” said a Victorian echo “If we are to believe that Clara is God in this scenario, then the Ghoul is Lucifer. You need to put Satan back in her cage, perhaps the rest of us will be able to follow.”

The trio stared at the Victorian governess. The metaphor was abstract but accurate; perhaps she had a point.  
“Then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll put her back into her cage,” said Clara.  
“Careful, if they stay too long the Doctor and Missy will be here until your mind is fixed. That could be eternity,” said the TARDIS engineer.   
“So be it!” said the Mistress.

Missy rose to her feet, taking a few steps before turning back to the Doctor and Clara. Clara stood to join her.  
“You can leave if you want to Theta, but I’m fixing this mess,” said Missy.  
“Oh, shut up!” said the Doctor, standing up.  
“You think I’d leave my best friends to suffer? Which one of us is supposed to be the idiot?”  
Missy squeezed his arm, before putting an arm around Clara’s waist.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
> 
> A/N: I'M BAAAAAACK!!! Thank you for your patience lovelies. My assignments are all done and I'm on holidays. I'm super excited to continue working on this story. I feel I should warn you I haven't edited this chapter, as I wanted get something out for all of you. I hope this whets your appetite. As always, what did you like? Do you have any criticisms for me? Leave a comment and let me know. ~TW

Chapter 13:

It was difficult to describe this place. The Master had no idea what it was. All he knew was that he had just died on the Valiant. This place was black and cold. It wasn’t anything real, it couldn’t be. Perhaps the best idea would be to walk. So, the Master plodded along in a random direction. He couldn’t see anything but blackness for miles around. It must have been hours before he found anything. He had almost given up; his feet hurt and his throat was burning. Eventually he saw the entrance to a valley guarded by two mountain ranges. He ran to the valley, as he cleared the entrance he saw a large lake. He dropped to his knees, and scooped large amounts of water into his mouth. It soothed the burning of his throat. 

The Master splashed water onto his face, pausing when he heard ethereal laughing, and a growl behind him. He slowly stood up and turned to face the noise. The creatures behind him were terrifying. There a small woman darkness flowing behind her like a cape. By her side were two large black wolves. The wolves growled, their hackles raising. He put his hands up, hoping it would satisfy the mutts.  
“Come on, you wouldn’t hurt a traveller, would you? I’ve done you no harm.”

The woman laughed. It was both beautiful and terrifying. The Master heard water falling behind him like a waterfall. He turned to discover a large serpent behind him. This is what humans called a leviathan. He heard the laugh again; the wolves howled and leapt at the leviathan. The woman jumped over his head and attacked the monster. The darkness that had been flowing behind her took on a life of its own and attacked the monster as well. 

The Master took this opportunity to slip away. If all these creatures were occupied, then they wouldn’t notice him leaving. He ran towards the mountains to the right of him. He then walked along them, thankful for the cover the trees gave him. He looked over toward the lake and saw darkness heading towards him. He began to ran but the darkness caught up to him. It reformed as the young woman and the two wolves. They fell in line with his pace as he ran. They would not leave him be. As they ran, the woman and the wolves would tear apart anything in his path that threatened him. He paid no attention to it. The woman’s presence was oppressive. He could feel her presence pressing in on him from all sides. The two wolves were terrifying in their own rights. They could maul him at any given time, and he had the distinct feeling he wouldn’t be able to stop them if he tried. 

He found a naturally occurring ramp in the rock face that lead to a cave. He turned and looked at the carnage behind him. His eyes widened and his eyebrows rose toward his hairline. The death itself did not bother him in the slightest, but the killing had been so messy. If he was killing with his bare hands, or blades he preferred to keep it clean. No point in ruining a perfectly good outfit after all. Messy carnage was only fun when guns and explosives were involved. Hm, that reminded him of the time he used a vinegar bomb to blow up a Raxacoricofallapatorian embassy. Blood and gore everywhere…good times. He ran up the ramp and into the cave. He kept an eye out of the valley that night, the woman staying with him. The wolves would periodically wander off to investigate the goings on in the valley.

Over the course of his time in the purgatory he began to call the woman: the Ghoul. She seemed to like it. He began to see that the wolves were closer to what humans called hellhounds. He called them Sangre and Sombra. It was Spanish for blood and shadow. As his time in purgatory dragged on, he saw the true power of the Ghoul. He both marvelled at it, and was terrified by it.

**SaveMe**

Missy, Clara and the Doctor dragged their feet across the desert. According to Oswin, Clara’s memories were far south of where Missy and the Doctor had originally landed. The heat was scorching, and the humidity was oppressive.  
“Mind turning down that heat dial Poppet?” jested Missy.  
“If I figure out how I’ll do it,” said Clara.

The Doctor smiled, it was good to see them getting along. More than getting along, if what he’d seen in the cave had been an indicator. Missy had been deliberately brushing against Clara, putting an arm around her waist and standing slightly in front of Clara in a protective gesture. Clara on the other hand would unconsciously brush against Missy, and lean into Missy’s touches. He thought it was sweet.

As they got further toward the trees, they came across the skeleton graveyard. Clara gasped, and Missy wound an arm around her waist, hurrying Clara along. Missy knew that Clara wasn’t accustomed to seeing death on this scale. It was nothing to her; she’d even been the cause of this a few times. The disconcerting part for Missy was that these skeletons were all versions of Clara. The Doctor looked a little green. Like Missy he was no stranger to death on this scale, but these were all versions of Clara. Neither of them were comfortable with any scenario that involved Clara’s death. 

The trio were thankful to reach the trees as night began to fall. They made camp in a small clearing, a fire burned in the middle. Missy gave Clara her jacket, and made sure to stay close to her. The Doctor took up a spot on the opposite side of the fire to the two women.  
“Missy, you seem to know the Ghoul best. Tell us more about her, we have to be prepared to confront her,” said the Doctor.

Missy took a breath, and cuddled into Clara. Clara leaned into Missy, realising her…whatever Missy was, was a cuddler. Go figure, a cuddly psychopath.   
“The Ghoul’s power is awesome, terrifying but awesome. She pulled off horrors that even I am incapable of…even if it’s only because I lack her powers,” said Missy.  
“What are her powers exactly?” asked the Doctor.  
“Well, it’s all to do with that darkness that follows her around. I believe she manipulates it to her will, which means it’s mostly ultra-violent purposes,” said Missy “She also has command over Sangre and Sombra.”  
“Sangre and Sombra?” asked Clara.  
“The wolves that are with her, although they’re more like hellhounds than wolves,” said Missy.

The Doctor huffed, rubbing his face before mussing his hair. He didn’t like what he was hearing. The Ghoul was beginning to sound more supernatural than alien. The supernatural did not exist, it couldn’t within scientific law.  
“You make the Ghoul sound supernatural, but the supernatural doesn’t exist,” said the Doctor.  
“Life after death shouldn’t exist either, but there was a life after I died on the Valiant. Don’t be so quick to dismiss these things Doctor,” said Missy.  
“So on a scale of 1 to Doomsday, how much trouble are we in?” asked Clara.  
“Gory, supernatural horror film,” deadpanned Missy.

All joking aside, the trio knew that they were in over their heads. How the hell were they meant to take on something they knew next to nothing about, with no outside resources? It was official, they were up shit creek with no paddle. It was time to do what they did best…improvise.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
> 
> A/N: Alright everyone I'm back, here is another update for you. Now I'm about to start a post on Tumblr trying to create some positivity with the way things currently are around the world. The main reason being: Fuck it, we're making something good out of this. Sorry for the language. Now if you see the post floating around, reblog it and add a little something creative of yours. If you don't have Tumblr but a friend does, ask them to keep an eye out, and send something on your behalf. It doesn't have to be writing, it can be an edit, a video, music, a cosplay idea/photo. Anything you've created! It can be original or fan based, just go for it!
> 
> Now as always, what did you like? Do you have any constructive criticism for me? ~TW

Chapter 14:

Missy stared into the fire, still wrapped around Clara. The little human slept as both Time Lords became lost in their thought. Missy could feel the Doctor’s thoughts and they were as frightened as her own. His thoughts felt the same as a shiver down the spine. Cold and yet slightly painful. Missy played with a loose strand of Clara’s hair. Although Missy loved chaos, a moment’s peace would be nice right now. Clara had been dealing with enough stress as it was.

The silence stretched for a further five minutes, before the sound of rustling bushes filled the clearing. The Doctor stood, screwdriver outstretched ready to take on whatever was in the bushes. Missy crouched over Clara protectively. The Mistress was becoming aggravated by these continued interruptions. 

The rustling sound got closer toward them, eventually revealing one of Clara’s echoes. She was a teenager dressed in medieval garb.  
“Hey there Perv. Trollop,” said Scamp.  
Missy growled and stalked over to the echo. She began to throw a punch at the echo, but the Doctor caught her arm and restrained her.  
“What are you doing here Scamp?” asked the Doctor.  
“Well the High an’ Migh’y Creator over there summoned me, so I got dropp’d back there. Stupid woman,” said Scamp.

Hearing Scamp insult Clara, Missy tried to escape the Doctor’s restraint again.  
“Don’t you insult her Urchin,” Missy growled.  
“Why shouldn’ I? The stupid bitch is the reason we’re all in pain,” said Scamp.

The Doctor let Missy go this time, wincing when he heard the loud cracking sound of skin on skin. He watched as Missy continued to rearrange Scamp’s facial structure.  
“Missy! Scamp! Stop it!” screamed Clara.

Missy looked over at Clara, then back down at Scamp before scuttling away from the echo. Missy looked down at the blood on her hands and huffed. At least she had taught the Urchin a lesson. Scamp glared at Missy wondering if she could get at the Trollop without being punched again.  
“You two need to stop this! Scamp I called you because I want you to help us fix this,” said Clara.  
“What if I don’t want to help you? This is your fault! Everything hurts!” screamed Scamp.

Clara began to speak, but the Doctor put up his hand. He walked over to Scamp and crouched.  
“Scamp, I know you’re scared and it all hurts, but we need you to be strong. I know you did your bit to protect me, now I’m going to repay you the favour,” the Doctor murmured “But to do that, I need your help. You’re strong, smart and capable. You have a lot of great talents, now let’s put them to the test, shall we? You, me, Missy and Clara.”

Scamp stared at the Doctor. She couldn’t decide if he was mental or not. She would remain sceptical of him, but decided she could follow him. He seemed like he would lead by example. She cleared away her injuries and offered him her hand.  
“Ok…Doctor,” she said.  
“Ok,” the Doctor said, taking her hand.

Clara stared at Scamp. She’d never been able to get the young woman to do anything. She also had no idea how the street urchin had wiped away her injuries.  
“We’re in your ‘ead Silly! Wiping away injuries tha’ small is nothin’. Bein’ disfigured or killed…well tha’s another story,” teased Scamp.

Missy cocked her head to the side, and then focused on her hands. She couldn’t make the blood go away. Clara saw what Missy was trying to do, and wiped away the blood with a wave of her hand. Missy nodded at Clara appreciatively, wishing she were back inside her own head to do this herself. As it stood she was not, but she would find a way to effect changes in the space around her. She was Gallifrey’s most talented telepath, and she would not be limited by this small obstacle.

She was the Mistress and everything would obey her.

Clara felt rather than heard Missy’s thoughts. She kneeled by the Mistress and rested her forehead against Missy’s. Clara was still figuring out how everything worked inside her mind, but she had begun to sense the Doctor, Missy and her echoes. She could feel rather than hear their thoughts. She also felt their emotions. It scared her, but it was something she’d learn to deal with. She had two Time Lords to help her after all.

The group gathered around the fire, silence falling upon the clearing. Missy and Scamp began to fidget. Scamp’s thoughts felt like hands being rubbed together quickly. Missy had retreated into her own head, her thoughts sending out a hypnotising signature. She would start singing one of her little operettas soon. The Doctor’s thoughts were calmer, slower. In fact, they lived up to the moniker ‘the Oncoming Storm’.

All three were scared. Clara knew they were, she was terrified herself. She had to break them out of their stupors. She quickly turned to Missy, turning her face toward her and placing a gentle kiss on Missy’s lips.  
“Hold me,” Clara whispered.

Missy’s mouth quirked upward, as she wound her arms around Clara. She enjoyed her human’s warmth, taking comfort in it. The Doctor smiled, and surprisingly so did Scamp.  
“Glad you’re coming to your senses Silly,” said Scamp.  
“You and me both Scamp,” said Missy.

Clara giggled and tapped Missy’s shoulder.  
“As lovely as this is, what are we going to do about the Ghoul? Any ideas?” asked the Doctor.  
“Doctor, we know next to nothing about this thing. My memories are of no help,” said Missy.  
“And I can’t remember being the Ghoul,” said Clara.

Scamp glanced at each of them. They looked like her parents had when the store had been taken away by the sheriff. They were scared. If she were honest, so was she but she knew things.  
“Well we need to make our way to th’ mem’ry centre righ’,” said Scamp “It’s a long walk through th’ forest; and into a valley, then we haff ta climb over some mount’ns. Th’ Ghoul won’ make it easy though.”  
“She’ll set Sangre and Sombra on us. She’ll use her darkness to do all sorts of things,” said Missy.

Clara saw fear in Missy’s eyes. Missy wore the same expression as she had upon realising she was standing on Skaro. Clara knew that she had to restore hope to the group. It was the basic plan the Doctor always had on their journeys. Give their acquaintances hope, then convince them to fight for their right to live.

“Come on, we’ll fight back. Like we always do. I mean we’ve faced off against the most dangerous races in the universe. We’ll do this like we always do, together…right?” said Clara “I’m the Impossible Girl, and you lot are the Mistress, the Doctor and Scamp the Rebellious. We’ve got this, and the other echoes will help if I call them.”  
“Clara we’re dealing with something that we could classify as supernatural. This is well above our pay grades,” said the Doctor.  
“So what!” exclaimed Clara “We’ve beat impossible stuff before, and we’ll do it again now. There is a way. There’s always something! Come on!”  
“It’s alright Hun, we’re going to fix this I swear,” murmured Missy, rubbing Clara’s arm.

Clara calmed down and rested against Missy. Missy moved Clara to lay down on the ground with her.  
“I suggest we all get some sleep. We’ve got a long day ahead of us,” said the Doctor.

Clara and Scamp fell into a peaceful sleep quickly. The two Time Lords stayed awake, keeping watch over their charges. The Doctor edged over to Scamp, keeping close in case he had to move or defend her. Missy curled herself around Clara as best she could.The one thing that was certain…they were all ready to face their fears and fix this problem; once and for all.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: See chapter 1. I also do not own the song: Hallelujah.
> 
> A/N: Sorry for the delay, I’ve been busy lately and my muses have been difficult to wrangle. This is for LegendofWho, who has waited long enough, and patiently enough for this update. I do hope you like this chapter. As always, what did you like? Do you have any constructive criticism for me? Leave me a review and let me know. ~TW

Chapter 15:

When the group woke the next morning, it was quiet. There was no talking. Clara did not ask as many questions as she usually did. Scamp made sure to continuously watch her surroundings for incoming assailants. Missy kept close to Clara, while the Doctor stuck to Scamp’s side. Each Time Lord stayed vigilant, keeping an open telepathic link with other. What one Gallifreyan knew, so did the other. It was made easier by their familiarity with each other’s mind. How their tutors at the Academy had never noticed their telepathic chatter was beyond them.   
The Doctor knew that Missy was worried that if she wasn’t around Clara, that Clara wouldn’t be strong enough to fight the Ghoul, or even Sombra and Sangre. He knew that she was on an air trigger. The slightest thing would send her into a violent frenzy. He hoped that when she did, it was aimed at the Ghoul. If anyone stood a chance against that particular echo, it was Missy. He didn’t like her violent streak, but this time it was a strategic advantage.   
Missy knew that the Doctor could become the Oncoming Storm at any given moment. He didn’t like anyone harming his loved ones, and he didn’t like endings. She knew that she was included on this list, but she was also included on the list of: can take care of themselves against the universe. It was why he always left her in dangerous situations. Not that this knowledge ever stopped Missy from being pissed off at him for it. In fact, at this point Missy knew that she and the Doctor were feeling intensely emotional. When this happened to either one of them, it was dangerous. When both of them, were like this, heaven help anyone in their way.   
Scamp suddenly scurried up a tree. The rest of the group gathered at the base.  
“Get down here this minute young lady!” yelled Missy.

There was silence from the tree branches. Clara wasn’t going to wait for Scamp to decide to come down. She climbed the tree, finding Scamp at the top.  
“Come on Scamp, we don’t have time for this,” said Clara.  
“Look at tha’ smoke though. Yeh can’ tell me you think tha’s normal,” said Scamp.

Clara looked over to where Scamp was staring. There was black smoke in the distance. The way it was moving was also to patterned for it to be normal.  
“Well that can’t be good,” murmured Clara.  
“What can’t be good?” asked Missy.

Clara and Scamp flinched at Missy’s voice. Clara wondered how the Time Lady had managed the climb the tree in that outfit. It was a mystery to all…well, except the Doctor who needed therapy. Served him right for looking up at the wrong moment.  
“Sorry for the fright Poppets…well no I’m not. Anyways, what can’t be good?” said Missy.  
“The smoke,” said Scamp, pointing in the direction of the smoke.

Missy swore under her breath, and rubbed at her temples; occasionally tapping a four-beat rhythm on them.  
“Doctor you need to get up here,” said Missy.  
“After that last horror show, I think I’ll pass,” the Doctor replied.   
“Just get up here Old Man!”

The Doctor sent Missy the telepathic equivalent of the middle finger, making Missy snort. The Doctor climbed the tree quickly, and looked in the direction Missy nodded her head towards.  
“Well that’s not good,” said the Doctor.  
“As we’ve said. Now that that’s cleared up, I suggest we go find some shelter to cower in,” said Missy.  
“Why?” asked Clara.  
“In case you missed it Puppy, that smoke is headed our way. And we all know what that smoke is by now,” said Missy “Now Urchin where can we go and hide?”  
“Since when do you hide?” said the Doctor.  
“You’re the one incapable of judging when to retreat, not me. I, at least am tactical about it. You just run away at any opportunity…honestly and you call yourself a hero,” said Missy, beginning to climb down.

Clara looked at the Doctor and frowned. She nodded at him, and he knew that Clara was going to deal with Missy. He looked over at Scamp.  
“So, any good places to hide and wait out the storm?” asked the Doctor.  
“Perhaps you could think of somethin’ for us to hide in. Can’ manipulate what yeh don’ understand,” said Scamp.

The Doctor grinned at Scamp, she really was every bit as clever as Clara.   
“Mhm, clev’r as the devil an’ twice as pre’y,” said Scamp, winking.  
The Doctor laughed at the teen’s rambunctious humour.

Meanwhile, on the ground Clara ran after a fuming Missy. How the hell did Missy move like that in those boots, and that skirt and petticoat? Well it was quite sexy if Clara was being honest. That posture, the power in Missy’s strut and the sway of those hips, woo!   
“Missy! Missy, wait up!” shouted Clara.  
“What Puppy? What do you want?” growled Missy, coming to a sudden halt.  
“What the hell was that up there?”   
“What do you think? I’m so damn tired of being accused for any little fault! He does always run, he left me on Skaro!” 

Clara paused and took a step backwards.  
“Well you did try to make him kill me,” said Clara.  
“Hun, as much as I wish I hadn’t done that with you; my trying to kill his companions is nothing new. He’s never cared before,” said Missy “The thing is, whenever he’s in trouble I go running to him. Whenever I need him, he leaves me for dead. I should know better by now but…urgh! Stupid Koschei! Stupid! Stupid!”

Missy began to pace and pull at her own hair. Clara could see the agony and mental suffering Missy was putting herself through. She was beginning to mutter, this wasn’t good. Clara supposed that Missy had never been truly stable mentally. The fact that Missy had been keeping it all together for the last while, trying to save Clara had to be recognised; and Clara certainly did. She acknowledged that Missy had been keeping it together. She hadn’t tried to harm her or the Doctor. A miracle really.  
“Missy?”

Missy continued to pace ignoring Clara.  
“Missy? Missy! Mistress!”  
Missy didn’t answer to any of it. Clara wracked her mind to find a way to make her respond. Missy had mentioned Koschei before. She wasn’t sure if it was Missy’s original name or not, but it was worth a try.  
“Koschei!” shouted Clara.

Missy stared at Clara. No one, but the Doctor had called her that in centuries. Coming from Clara’s mouth, her former name sounded beautiful.   
“Missy take a few deep breaths. You’ve done well so far, and I appreciate it so much but you need to aim that anger at the Ghoul,” said Clara “In the meantime, talk it out with the Doctor. You said it yourself. You’re best friends, now act like it.”

Missy blinked, not knowing how to respond Clara’s statement, or calling her by her original name. She was torn between wanting to kiss Clara, and wanting to scream at her. How did one human, make her feel so happy and yet so conflicted? She snapped out of her thoughts when Clara suddenly stiffened.  
“What’s wrong Clara?”  
“The Ghoul, she’s closing in.”  
“Come on then.”

Missy grabbed hold of Clara’s hand, and began to run back toward the Doctor and Scamp. The Mistress did not grin madly, she didn’t cackle and she didn’t twirl. She was silent, and ran on an even keel. The last time this had happened, she and Clara had been on Skaro. Clara knew then, that she should be afraid of the Ghoul. The question is: How do you be afraid of yourself, when you’ve never been afraid of yourself before? 

They found the Doctor and Scamp beneath the tree, seemingly in meditation. Neither woman had ever seen Scamp sit so still. The Doctor’s face remained slack except for the creases of concentration on his forehead.   
“We need to move now,” said Missy.  
“What’s going on?” asked the Doctor.  
“The Ghoul is coming this way, and she’s probably bringing Sombra and Sangre with her,” said Clara.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows.  
“Well we’re workin’ on a way ta hide from ‘er. If we can get the Docta, or Missy ta project somethin’ we can ‘ide in somethin’ tha’s foreign to the Ghoul, she won’ be able to get inside,” Scamp explained.  
“We were trying to get the TARDIS to appear,” said the Doctor.  
“But that won’t be foreign to her. I have memories of the TARDIS, she’ll know it as well as I do,” said Clara.

Missy furrowed her eyebrows, and thought about what could be foreign to everyone except her. The idea struck her instantly. It was obvious, her own TARDIS. Although functionally it did the same job as the Doctor’s TARDIS, it was more advanced and was engineered for combat. She grabbed Clara’s hand and focused on projecting her TARDIS around the four of them. 

The familiar black interior formed around them. It had the new gothic desktop that she had selected. It was dark with splashes of colour, just like her. The flight system controls were simplistic, all the complexity was in the circuits beneath the surface of the console. Every part of Missy’s TARDIS reflected her personality. The others might have found it intimidating, but to Missy it was home. A symbol of safety. Contrary to what anyone else thought, the Mistress needed a home to come back to, like anyone else. Something that supported her chaotic lifestyle.

She grabbed Clara, and Scamp dragging them to the console seat. She sat Clara down first.  
“Close your eyes Clara,” Missy instructed.

Clara did as she was told, and Missy silently directed Scamp to sit sideways across Clara’s lap.   
“Scamp close your eyes, and try to block Clara’s hearing as much as possible.”

Missy turned back to the console, nodding to the Doctor. She flipped a few switches and Hallelujah began to play through the speakers. The Doctor watched the screen as the Ghoul, Sombra and Sangre appeared in the black smoke. The Ghoul’s eyes flicked black as the smoke engulfed them, knocking the TARDIS from side to side. Clara and Scamp screamed as they were jostled in their seat. The Doctor and Missy looked at the two humans and back to each other.

They ran around the console programming the TARDIS to make the teleport to a safe place. They could only pray that Clara’s psyche would handle the stress. Missy turned up the song’s volume, as the Time Lords tried to make the TARDIS move. It was taking a while, and so the song was played on loop; the Gallifreyans singing along to it. Clara had heard both Time Lords sing at one stage or another. They sounded beautiful together. Both of them had soothing voices. Although Missy used her voice for opera more often than not, Clara thought she sounded the best singing a song like Hallelujah. The Doctor’s low voice complimented Missy’s soprano well, and together they successfully distracted Clara and Scamp from the chaos outside. 

The TARDIS pitched and tossed as Sombra and Sangre slammed into the ship. The Ghoul tried to hack at the door with her cleaver. The smoke was picking up speed, and soon it would make it too difficult to take off, and they’d be trapped.

In a last-ditch attempt, Missy tried guiding the ship telepathically. It worked, and the ship landed on the other side of the forest. Missy and the Doctor disentangled Scamp and Clara. Missy holding Clara close; and the Doctor flailing, as Scamp wrapped her legs and arms around him in a koala style hug. Missy and Clara had to try to hold each other up as they laughed at the Doctor. Once they collected themselves, they helped the Doctor pull Scamp off him…well Clara did, Missy laughed at him some more. Once they had settled on the floor of the console room, their adrenaline began to calm down.

“So why did you make Scamp and I sit like that?” asked Clara.  
“Because the less you saw and heard, the better,” said Missy.  
“Righ’…so what a’we gonna do now?” asked Scamp.  
“Well we need to figure out what we’re going to do from here. Piloting the TARDIS was risky, and we should avoid it as much as possible to avoid hurting Clara,” said the Doctor “We’ve got a mountain to climb yet, and who knows how much time before the Ghoul and her wolves catch up.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, I’m just writing this for fun okay.
> 
> A/N: This is for Meancatal88. Happy Birthday Hun, I hope your day is amazing. This is my little gift for your birthday. Hope you enjoy. As always guys, what did you like? Do you have any constructive criticism for me? Leave a review and let me know. ~TW

Chapter 16:

The group trudged through the valley. Clara changed Missy’s outfit mid-way through the valley. As they had discovered, the area was swampy and Missy’s skirts were weighing her down. The heat was disgusting; the Doctor, Missy and Scamp complained to Clara about the temperature. It was her head, why wasn’t she doing anything about it? 

Clara eventually snapped that she didn’t know how. It was quieter after that, the group simply deciding that it was best for them to just get on with it. At one stage Scamp decided to kick up a fuss.  
“Why can’ we use Missy’s TARDIS again?” asked Scamp.  
“It could cause a lot of damage to Clara’s psyche,” said the Doctor, tiredly.  
“So, wha’?” said Scamp.  
“I’ll give you; so, what?” growled Missy.

Missy began to launch herself at Scamp, but the Doctor caught her around the waist. Clara on the other hand kept Scamp from trying to attack Missy.  
“Fighting won’t help us you idiots!” shouted Clara.

Missy stopped struggling, panting with exertion. She hated anyone badmouthing her Clara; even if it was a part of Clara herself. She looked at that funny, petite human with the large eyes and saw perfection. Clara was simultaneously her sun and stars, and her most irritating itch. She never asked for this, what did she do to get this confused? 

Clara on the other hand was glad to be able to let go of Scamp. Now she could focus on how she felt about what just happened. Missy confused her. Missy had done so much wrong, but she had suddenly swept in and been a hero. Clara knew Missy would hate the term hero. Particularly in connection with her. Missy had committed unspeakable horrors, Clara should hate her. Clara should be repulsed by her and yet…

There it was. The feelings that had cropped up recently. If it hadn’t been for Missy’s vulnerability and willingness to admit her feelings without pomp and circumstance; Clara would think that Missy was trying to manipulate her. It would be so totally Missy to do such a thing, but she wasn’t doing it. Clara knew that people who were manipulating you didn’t hold you like that. People who were manipulating you didn’t gaze at you, like you were their entire universe. People who were manipulating you didn’t get out of control upset when a part of you told you, you weren’t worth protecting.

Missy had done these things and more. Clara had begun to feel when Missy would use her telepathic abilities to calm her down. It felt like Missy was playing with her hair and then occasionally brushing her fingers down the side of her face. It was relaxing, and it made Clara imagine herself laying her head, on Missy’s lap in front of a fire; while Missy played with her hair and tickled her face. After all this was over perhaps they could do exactly that. 

Once Missy and Scamp were separated, the Doctor and Clara kept themselves between the pair. It helped to keep them from an all-out brawl, but didn’t keep them from bickering. The Doctor tensed ready to catch Scamp again if need be, while Clara wrapped a possessive arm around Missy’s waist. While the Time Lady was frustrated with Scamp, she couldn’t help but like the feeling of Clara’s arm around her waist. It was possessive, but the Mistress found she liked it. In any other circumstance, she would have clawed the person’s face off, but Clara’s embrace felt comfortable rather than obtrusive. It was heavenly.

They’d made it half way into the valley when they heard howling behind them.  
“Oh god,” murmured Clara.  
“Run ya daf’ bastards!” screamed Scamp. 

No one in the group needed to be told twice. They sprinted away from the howling, but they could see the smoke beginning to gain on them. The sounds of howling, and explosions were getting louder. Clara and the Doctor weaved around the obstacles in their path; whilst Scamp and Missy took a more chaotic approach. They jumped over and ducked under obstacles. Where Clara and the Doctor ran with forceful motions, Missy and Scamp were sleek and agile. 

As the smoke gained ground, Missy came to a sudden halt. She knew she had two options. She could continue running and they’d get caught; or she could stand and fight. She didn’t want to make the TARDIS an option again. She could hurt Clara, and Missy guessed that that was what the Ghoul was trying to make them do. The Mistress wasn’t willing to be caught, so she would stand and fight. She was tired of trying to do things the Doctor’s way anyway. 

“Missy what are you doing? Run!” shouted Clara.  
“No, I’m going to fight this thing. Doctor. Scamp, get her out of here,” said Missy.

The Doctor looked at each of the women and sighed.  
“Scamp, get Clara out of here,” said the Doctor.  
“We can’t leave you,” said Clara.  
“You can and you damn well will. Scamp put her over your shoulder if you bloody well have to, just get Clara out of here!” shouted Missy.

Needing no further instructions, Scamp tossed Clara over her shoulder and took off. The Doctor and Missy removed their jackets.  
“Since when do you fight like this?” teased Missy.  
“I don’t, but it’s time we did this your way Kosch,” said the Doctor, with a grin.  
“I don’t think we’ve fought alongside each other like this since the Academy,” said Missy.  
“Too busy fighting each other after that.”

Missy chuckled as she squared up to fight off the oncoming forces. They could see Sombra and Sangre running in the front, while the smoke around them hit the ground with percussive force. The sound was deafening. The wolves picked a Time Lord each, and attacked with ferocity. Missy dodged the first blow, aiming a kick to the animal’s side. She managed to tag the wolf, but the blow didn’t hit perfectly. The shadow had taken to drumming around them, occasionally hitting one of the Gallifreyans to give Sombra and Sangre the upper hand. Missy found she was frequently knocked onto her back. 

She found herself on her back once again, and quickly rolling out of the way, of one of Sangre’s attacks. Missy quickly got onto her knees before launching herself at the wolf. She caught Sangre in a headlock and struggled to keep the canine in her grasp. As she wrestled with the wolf she noted that the Doctor had brought back his use of Venusian Aikido. It was relatively effective, but the wolf seemingly gave no fucks, as the 21st century humans were fond of saying.

The Doctor was suddenly grasped by the shadow and began to sputter. He couldn’t breathe properly. Missy watched as the shadows began to crush the Doctor in its gasp. 

The Mistress screamed.

Her best friend was dying in front of her and she had to stop it. As Missy moved downwards to knock Sangre unconscious, her brooch grazed the side of the wolf’s neck. It howled and then disappeared into the smoke. Sombra joined his brother in the smoke, and the large black mass moved away, back towards the forest. 

The Doctor’s body dropped to the ground, and Missy ran to him. He was conscious, and after checking him over, Missy helped her friend to his feet. The Doctor and Missy stared at each other, panting. The Doctor doubled over, bending at the knee.  
“Not bad Old Timer,” panted Missy.  
“And you, Witch,” said the Doctor.   
“Well at least we know the Ghoul, or at least the wolves and smoke don’t like dark star alloy,” said Missy.  
“That certainly is a bonus,” the Doctor murmured “Now which direction do you think Scamp took Clara? We’re going to be slowed down without Clara or an echo as it is.”

Missy looked toward where Scamp had taken off. She hoped they hadn’t gotten too far, but she also hoped they’d been smart enough to run, and not look back. The Doctor had also brought up a good point; that they were going to be slowed down now due to telepathic drag.  
“Ah fuck,” murmured Missy.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing, but Scamp really. See chapter one for a full disclaimer.
> 
> A/N: Hi everyone. I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated this fic. Life has been hectic, and the muse has been slow. I’m dedicating this chapter to my friend Bradley (who helped me to find music that inspired my muse) and auroral-melody over on Tumblr, who drew a gorgeous misffle drawing for me. As always, what did you like? Do you have any constructive criticism for me? Leave a comment and let me know. ~TW

Chapter 17:

The Time Lords, trudged through the swampland. It was still hot, and the telepathic drag made their footsteps slower. Their legs had started to feel heavy at least an hour ago. All conversation had stopped 45 minutes ago. They were too tired to carry on their usual bicker fest. 

As they passed another puddle of water, Missy wiped at her forehead. She could have sworn they’d passed that puddle at least five times now. She stopped suddenly and bent over, resting her hands on her knees.

“We’re going in circles Doctor!” panted Missy.  
“Are we? I can’t tell anymore,” said the Doctor.  
“We have to be, that has to be the same damn puddle,” said Missy “I can barely think anymore.”

The Doctor looked at Missy piteously, as she crumpled down to the ground. She wasn’t taking this well, and the telepathic drag was beginning to affect them both. He wasn’t surprised that it was showing the most effect on Missy. She didn’t have a particularly stable mind. She’d only just begun to gain a semblance of stability in real time. Being in someone else’s mind for too long always had an effect, even on a telepath as strong as the Mistress.

“I know, I’m not feeling too good myself,” said the Doctor “But come on, up you get. We have to get back to our Impossible Girl.”

The Doctor knelt and helped Missy to her feet. She almost pulled him down to the ground. Missy mustered her wits, trying to clear her thoughts. It was becoming more difficult, they had to track Clara, but she had no idea how within Clara’s own mind. The Doctor picked up on Missy’s thoughts.

“Perhaps we could use your Tardis’ telepathic controls,” the Doctor suggested.

Missy launched herself at the Doctor. She tackled him to the ground, landing a solid punch to his jaw before pinning him.

“It would potentially hurt Clara, you idiot! How dare you suggest hurting my Clara!” Missy screamed. 

The Doctor wilted under her manic gaze. He’d forgotten how much stronger than him, she was in this regeneration. It was odd, given her size he’d have thought it would be the other way around. Perhaps regenerating whilst on the Time Locked Gallifrey did something to make her into a stronger person. An even deadlier predator. This time, he’d have to appease her.

“I’m sorry Missy. I just wanted to find her, the quicker we find her, the faster we can help her.”

Missy backed away, curling into the foetal position and burying her face in her arms. She tried to breathe deeply. She didn’t want to cry again. This was weakness and she should never be weak. She was the Mistress after all. 

Little did she realise that tears were already falling down her face, and her breathing had turned into sobs. The Doctor crouched down beside her, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. Missy violently smacked his hand away, glaring at him. 

“Don’t,” said Missy “I don’t need your damn pity.”  
“Missy, what’s going on?” asked the Doctor.  
“I can’t bloody pretend I’m okay with you anymore is what’s going on!”  
“What?”  
“Don’t be so bloody ignorant Thete. I’ve tried to save you so many damn times. I’ve tried to give you gifts. And you throw it all in my face.”  
“You tried to kill Clara!”  
“Yes, but no one deserves to be left on Skaro. Nobody!”

The Doctor realised then, that Missy knew what she’d done wrong. She even acknowledged it. Her problem had been with his reaction. He’d left her to survive her own worst nightmare. To survive the one thing, that had made her run. It had terrified her so much, that she’d ran to the end of the universe. Did he really become such a monster when he was angry? Perhaps she had been right all along.

They weren’t so different.

“You were right you know,” said the Doctor.  
“Right?” said Missy.  
“Yeah, we’re not so different. We’re both capable of great and terrible things,” said the Doctor “At least you don’t lie about it.”  
“No kidding.”  
“You do something and admit it. Take joy in it even but you see, I can’t do that. I get angry and do monstrous things. Then I will twist my actions, or someone else will twist them to make it seem that I had the high ground. Truth is, my ledger is dripping with as much red as yours.”

Missy wrinkled her nose and forehead, confused. What was he getting at?

“The point is Kosch, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I left you on Skaro, and I’m sorry that I’m such a terrible friend to you. I abandoned you to your worst nightmare. I was truly a monster for that.” 

Missy stared at him, he didn’t do this. The Doctor never apologised to her for his misdeeds. It wasn’t a thing that happened. They heard rustling in the nearby bushland. They both stood, ready to fight whatever was approaching. Clara and Scamp, stepped out of the tree line. 

No one expected what happened next. Missy squeaked and crash tackled Clara, bringing her human into a hug. She made sure that Clara landed on top of her, but the poor human still felt a little winded. Clara laughed breathily; staring into Missy’s eyes, she placed a chaste kiss on the corner of Missy mouth.

“What brought that on?” whispered Clara.  
“Relief,” Missy murmured.

Missy smiled up at Clara, running her right hand through her puppy’s hair. After that mess with Thete, she needed something easy and comforting. Being around Clara was that.

“Come on you two, up ya get! We won’ ‘ave long before those wolves are on our arses again,” said Scamp.  
“Right you are Scamp,” said Missy, distractedly.

Missy and Clara got up off the ground, and followed Scamp. Missy kept an arm around Clara’s waist. She made it look possessive to the Doctor but it was really for her own comfort. She’d almost lost Clara too many times. She wanted her close, so she could jump in to protect her Clara. 

*SaveMe*

Climbing the mountains was the worst. None of them had anticipated the dangers of taking this direction. Clara had had to change all their outfits just to stop the frostbite. It was bad enough when the physical body got frostbite, the mind getting frostbite could be instantly lethal. 

Scamp was becoming exhausted, and the Doctor had taken to keeping a close proximity to her. Missy could see that Clara would be in the same state soon. Both humans were strong, but they weren’t telepathic naturally. That was where the Time Lords had the advantage. 

The closer to the summit they were, the faster the snow fell. Both Time Lords were assisting their humans, by this point. It was the Doctor who noticed it first. It was a black humanoid shape. It moved at an inhuman pace.

The Doctor squinted into the distance, and saw another movement. They didn’t look like the shadows that followed the Ghoul. These were different. These seemed more like monsters. It was something he could handle.

“Do you see that?” asked the Doctor.  
“Yeah, you’re not hallucinating,” said Missy.  
“What?” asked Clara.  
“Do they look like black shapes?” asked Scamp.  
“Yes,” said the Doctor.  
“Bloody ‘ell! We ‘ave ta move fast’r, they’ll try ta jump us,” said Scamp.

They picked up their pace, noticing the dark shapes stopping and staring at them through the snow.

“What are they?” asked Clara.  
“I’m not sure, never seen that before,” said Missy.  
“We don’ ‘ave names for ‘em but they’re echoes tha’ nev’r got born,” explained Scamp “But they really wanna. They’re no’ usually a problem for us echoes, but with you three they ‘ave a shot at enterin’ the real world.”

All three corporeal beings stopped for a moment and contemplated what could happen if they were ‘jumped’. It took Clara only a few seconds to realise how bad it could be if it happened to her friends. It was one thing for it to happen to a human, but a Time Lord? Goodness knows what could happen with all that power at someone’s disposal. It was then that she decided that she’d defend her Time Lords, no matter what it took. Better her, than them.

“Don’t you dare,” said the Doctor.  
“What? I’m not doing anything!” exclaimed Missy.  
“Not you! Clara!” exclaimed the Doctor.   
“I’m not doing anything either,” said Clara.

The Doctor facepalmed. If it wasn’t one, it was the other. Those two were perfect for each other, sacrificing themselves for the other. Idiots the pair of them.  
“No, but you will if it comes down to it. I know you Clara,” said the Doctor.

Missy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion for a moment, before realisation hit her. Her eyes widened, and she raised her eyebrows. 

“Clara, no!” Missy shouted shrilly “We’re not worth you!”  
“This isn’t about me. This is about the universe’s safety. If they take over me, it’s not as big a risk. You two can stop me,” said Clara “But if you two get jumped, imagine how much damage would be done. It’s terrifying, better me than you.”  
“Clara-” Missy and the Doctor began.

They heard the loud sound of crunching snow coming from 10 metres to their right.  
“Run ya idiots!” Scamp screamed.

The others needed no further prompting. The adrenaline that hit Clara’s system allowed them all to run faster, but it also helped the non-echoes. They ran down the side of the mountain at record speeds. They barely felt the freezing temperatures. 

They ran into the valley, Scamp leading the way. Adrenaline hit Missy’s system as she realised the valley was an exact copy of where she’d been; after being killed on the Valiant. Being linked to Missy, the Doctor picked up on her adrenaline rush.   
“Where do we need to go Scamp?” yelled Missy.  
“There’s a cave on the other side of the valley, not far from a lake,” Scamp shouted.  
“Yep, I know the one,” said Missy, picking up Clara.

The Doctor picked up Scamp, following Missy and doubling his pace to keep up with her. They ran to a lake, Missy making sure they took an early detour around it. They couldn’t afford to deal with the leviathan that lived there. 

The non-echoes were still on their tail. They gathered together like an army charging toward an oncoming enemy. The only choice the Time Lords had, was to keep running. As they got closer to the cave, Missy and the Doctor felt the adrenaline rush waning. They had no choice but to keep running, as stopping to put down Clara and Scamp was a suicidal choice. 

As Missy looked up, she noticed a large circular boulder was moving to block the door.   
“Ah shit, that would be right,” thought Missy.

Missy and the Doctor put on one final burst of speed up the ramp, quickly slipping into the cave.

The boulder closed over the entrance as they lowered Clara and Scamp gently onto the ground, before lying down on the cave floor. Both Gallifreyans were breathing heavily, their hearts pounding. 

Missy’s anxiety hit her abruptly. They had been so close to being jumped, and that was terrifying. With the combination of her anxiety, and coming down from an adrenaline rush; the Mistress had to quickly roll over to a rock, and vomit behind it. It was all too much, to deal with in one hit. Coming so close to losing Clara and now Thete as well; was wreaking havoc on her system. 

Clara moved over to Missy, and rubbed her back. She was going to make sure they all rested before going anywhere. They needed it, and she would make sure her Time Idiots got some sleep. No matter what they thought, or said; they were not invincible.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Anything recognisably belonging to other people is clearly not mine. For a full disclaimer see Chapter 1. Seriously all I own is Scamp.
> 
> A/N: IMPORTANT!!! So just to let you guys know, there is some smut in this chapter. It’s nothing too explicit (as I can’t write smut very well at all) but just in case people are opposed to it, I felt a warning was necessary. Anyways kids, we’re on the home stretch. This is the second to last chapter, and she’s a doozy. Well she was doozy to write at least. I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve updated. Life and all that jazz. Anyways, as always; what did you like? Do you have any constructive criticism for me? Leave a comment and let me know. ~TW

Chapter 18:

Missy woke up to find a small body pressed to her back, and arms around her waist. She wasn’t used to being the little spoon, but she had to admit it felt nice. She could see Scamp directly across from her, so it had to be Clara behind her. She smiled and pressed back gently. This was nice. 

She noticed the Doctor across from her. Missy took the time to appreciate seeing her friend so relaxed. Despite the current state of their friendship, she could still appreciate the relaxed expression on her friend’s face. He looked more like Theta Sigma than the Doctor. He looked like he did before…well, everything. 

Missy knew they would repair their friendship. They always did.

The arms around Missy’s waist tightened, and she knew then that Clara was awake.  
“Morning,” Missy whispered, turning around in Clara’s arms.  
“Morning,” Clara murmured back, touching her forehead to Missy’s. 

They stared into each other’s eyes. The moment was tranquil, and beautiful.  
“I could get used to this,” said Missy.   
“So, could I,” said Clara, giving Missy eskimo kisses. 

Missy giggled, and Clara grinned; surprised that the Mistress could giggle in such an innocent manner. 

Despite wishing that she could stay in this moment, Missy knew that they had to get moving.   
“We need to move my love,” whispered Missy.

As Missy began to move out of Clara’s grasp, Clara grasped her hips.  
“Did you just call me, my love?” asked Clara.  
“Yes, I love you. It’s one of many pet names I’ll call you Puppy,” said Missy.

Clara let Missy go, staring after her in wonder of Missy’s confession. How did the Time Lady commit such large-scale atrocities, but not realise the effects she had with such a small phrase? It was mind boggling. But then, what had she expected of one of her Time Idiots.

Missy woke Scamp, by gently shaking the girl. The Doctor woke up having heard Missy whispering to Scamp. He dragged himself upright, catching his jacket as Scamp tossed it at him. He watched as Missy crouched down by Clara, peppering kisses on Clara’s forehead and lips. He smiled, it was nice to Missy being so genuinely affectionate. It had been too long.

“So, we gonna get goin’ or wha’?” said Scamp.

The Doctor hid a grin behind his hand. That was normally his MO. Seeing it from the outside amused him. It was like watching a child unknowingly interrupt their parents. It was endearing to say the least. 

The group travelled further into the cave. It was oddly easy to see in the cave, but perhaps that was due to the glow coming from the chamber off to the left further down the tunnel.

The group entered the chamber, and were greeted by the sight of glowing crystals. Missy was immediately drawn to a cluster of peach coloured crystals. Touching one, Missy’s vision was immediately drawn to an image.

As her vision focused, Missy saw two naked bodies on a bed. One was on top of the other, the one on top was smaller. Both bodies were female and the woman on top was moving languidly; while the woman on the bottom seemed to be writhing. 

It took a few moments to realise that the writhing body was supposed to be her own. The other Missy’s facial expression was open and vulnerable. Her other self was quite vocal. Was this what she’d be like during sex in this body? Well if the amount of pleasure her other self was experiencing was anything to go by, she hoped so. 

It was then that Missy realised that the other body was Clara. She smiled, feeling aroused as she realised what she was seeing. This was one of Clara’s fantasies. Hm, how…interesting. 

Missy let go of the crystal, and looked over at Clara. Missy’s eyes were hooded, a sensual smirk lighting up her features.   
“Has the Puppy been having naughty thoughts about her Mistress?” Missy teased.

Clara blushed and Scamp began to howl with laughter.  
“Shut up! You’re me, remember?” shouted Clara.  
“So?” said Scamp.  
“You’ve thought about her, just as much as I have Scamp,” said Clara.

Now it was Missy’s turn to blush. Multiple Claras, having fantasies about her was very flattering. This time it was the Doctor who laughed.  
“What are you laughing at Old Man?” asked Clara.  
“Mis-Missy! Sh-she’s blu-blushing! That d-doesn’t happen!” the Doctor howled.  
“Shut up!” yelled Missy, blushing harder.

The Doctor continued to laugh at Missy’s expense. It was just too good. It was always him that ended up blushing; so, he would never forget this moment as long as he lived. Eventually, he pulled himself together.   
“So, those peach ones Missy touched were…you know,” said the Doctor “And those yellow ones I touched were memories of little Clara. So, each colour identifies certain things.”

“An’ those crack’d purple ones must be th’ problem,” observed Scamp.  
“I think you’re right dear,” said Missy.

Missy and the Doctor moved closer to the crystals, to take a better look. There was nothing extraordinary about them. They were no different from the other crystals except the cracks. 

“You got any ideas?” asked Missy.  
“Nada,” the Doctor replied.  
“Well the Ghoul protected Missy during her time in the other place, yeah?” said Clara.  
“Yes,” said the Doctor.  
“What if it has something to do with me and Missy? What if the Ghoul is trying to stop us from ever having a relationship in the physical world?” said Clara.  
“May-,” started Missy.

There was a loud banging at the cave entrance. Dust fell from the ceiling, and rocks could be heard falling to the floor in the tunnel. Clara ran over to Missy, embracing her as hard as she could. The Doctor swung Scamp into an embrace, using his body to shield her from any falling rocks. 

The chaos stopped momentarily, the group relaxed their bodies with sighs of relief.  
“Do you think that was…” said Clara.  
“I think we can safely say yes,” the Doctor replied. 

Missy stared at the crystals wondering how she was going to repair this. The Ghoul had been her protector and it had caused the break in Clara’s memories, so how would they repair it? It was a question that required time to be answered. Time, they didn’t have. 

Something was missing, and Missy just could not put her finger on it. The shaking started again; and as Missy clung to Clara trying to protect her, she realised that this may all have been for nothing. They needed time to figure out what they would do, and there wasn’t any. So as the cave was falling around them, Missy knew she had to say one thing before there was a chance that her mind would be snuffed out by the Ghoul’s attempts to bring down the cave.  
“I love you,” Missy whispered into Clara’s ear.

Clara’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t know what to say, but like Missy she realised that she may never get the time to do what she wanted. It was hard to say the words, and she’d only just begun coming to terms with it all, but if this was her last chance to say it then…

“I love you Missy.”   
Clara hid her face in the crook of Missy’s neck, feeling too embarrassed to look at the Time Lady. Missy tightened her grip, resting her chin on Clara’s head. The dust fell around them and the impending chaos of the Ghoul caused every heart in the room to race. 

Missy could feel the Doctor’s fear and his sky rocketing adrenaline. He no doubt felt hers in return. Her eyes searched the room for a way out, until they landed on the purple crystal. It was glowing. Missy furrowed her brows, releasing Clara, only to take the human’s hand. She dragged Clara to the crystal. 

The energy looked like it was trying to repair the cracks in the crystal. It would need some telepathic guidance. Hopefully they could do something about it. Missy placed a hand on the crystal, trying to find a way to link herself to the crystal. It was like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands. The energy didn’t feel tangible.   
“Let me try,” said Clara.

Missy released Clara’s hand and placed her spare hand on the crystal. Clara placed both of her hands on the crystal and reached out for the energy of the crystal. Missy couldn’t help but be impressed by how quickly Clara had picked up on some telepathic abilities. It was fascinating, Missy had never seen a human accomplish this before. 

As the pair worked to knit the crystal back together, as they did it created a vacuum effect. The various echoes began to zap into the chamber, and get sucked back into the crystal. One by one they all went back to the crystal that had held the echo memories. It had all been going well until there were only two echoes left. 

Scamp and the Ghoul.

The Ghoul and her wolves came crashing through the hallway, standing at the entrance to the crystal chamber. As she stood there, Missy, Clara and the Doctor felt Clara’s mind repairing. It would soon seal its cracks. It would leave Missy and the Doctor trapped if they didn’t move; and both Time Lords knew it.

“Missy we have to go!” shouted the Doctor.  
“We can’t leave Clara here with that thing!” Missy screamed.  
“If we don’t we’ll be trapped here too,” said the Doctor.

Clara knew exactly what needed to happen here. She had to force Missy to go.   
“Go, go now!” shouted Clara.  
“No!” Missy shouted back.  
“Missy! Go ya idiot! I’ll look afta Clara!” yelled Scamp.  
“No!”

Clara sighed exasperatedly, she turned to the Doctor and nodded her head in the universal sign for ‘beat it’. The Doctor nodded, knowing that Clara would deal with Missy, and didn’t need him making it any harder. He disappeared from Clara’s mind, ready to wait for Missy’s return in the physical world.

Scamp, meanwhile, was wrestling with the Ghoul. Exerting more energy than she remembered ever doing in her physical life. Clara couldn’t help but be proud of her echo. But she had other important things to focus on.

“Missy you need to go now or you’ll be trapped,” said Clara.  
“I can’t-” said Missy.  
“Yes, you can, damn it!” screamed Clara.  
“I-”   
“Move ya arse Missy, ya daf’ trollop! I’ve got this!” Scamp yelled “Clara, zap ‘er ou’ of ‘ere now!”

Taking Scamp’s advice, Clara lifted her hand and let the energy flow through her and out of her hand. It hit Missy square in the chest, and she disappeared from the room in the same fashion as the Doctor. Clara turned towards Scamp and blasted her with the energy too, willing it to strengthen the echo. 

Placing her hand back on the crystal, she focused back on repairing the crystal. She occasionally turned back to see what Scamp was doing, and found that the struggle was about even. 

Scamp was agile and she dodged the wolves with ease, only having trouble when it came to the Ghoul. 

She managed to get in a few swipes, but she couldn’t get a good grip on the creature. If she could do that then it would be game over for the Ghoul.

The street urchin began to play dirty. Every trick she’d learned rough housing on the streets of London came into play. Eventually she was able to grab the flesh beneath the Ghoul’s ribs and twist it hard.

As the Ghoul yelped in pain, Scamp picked the creature up and ran to the crystal. Taking a wind up, she threw the Ghoul into the crack of energy; laughing at the look on the Ghoul’s face. Clara smiled, stopping the vacuum effect.  
“I think I might actually miss you Scamp,” said Clara.  
“Well ya know where ta find me,” said Scamp, gesturing to the crystal.  
“Yeah,” sobbed Clara.  
“‘ey now, don’t you go cryin’ on me a’right,” said Scamp.

Clara nodded at the young woman.  
“Now you’re gonna do me some favours,” sad Scamp “You’re gonna go back ou’ there; an’ you an’ Missy are gonna sort things ou’ and be ‘appy. You got me?”  
Clara nodded.  
“Good, now ya also gonna look afta our Time Idiots righ’. Those two would lose their ‘eads if they wasn’ screwed on,” said Scamp “Most importan’ly though, ya gonna look afta yeself. Got me so far?”

Clara nodded again, dumbfounded by what Scamp was saying to her. She had never expected this to come out of the street urchin’s mouth.

“An’ las’ly, I need ya to do a favour f’me p-personally. H-hold me hand as I go in…p-please? I’m sc-scared,” said Scamp, her voice cracking.

Clara saw a tear run down Scamp’s face.  
“Come here,” murmured Clara, offering a one-armed hug.

Scamp jumped into Clara’s embrace, crying a little. Clara held her gently, she had expected this to happen. After all, Scamp despite everything, was still only a child. Pulling back, Clara held Scamp’s hand, as Scamp walked into the crack of energy.  
“See ya Silly.”  
“Bye Urchin.”

As Scamp disappeared, the crack of energy sealed up. As Clara took her hands off the crystal, she suddenly realised how quiet and lonely it was. She watched the glow of the other crystals, and suddenly realised she had to get back to the real world.  
“Oh god, now what do I do?” she murmured.


End file.
